Inside Military Surplus

IMS_Cover_Cover 10/31/14 3:23 PM Page 1
FROM THE EDITORS OF WORLD OF FIREPOWER | INSIDE MILITARY SURPLUS

FROM THE EDITORS OF WORLD OF FIREPOWER
INSIDE MILITARY SURPLUS WINTER 2014
U.S. $8.99 DISPLAY UNTIL: 2/3/15
73
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Engaged Media By Beckett
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TableofContents
Pg. 20
Cover
story
Perfect Hit
................................................................................................
20
Starting in the 18th century, we have got the evolution of

the sniper rie covered. By Eric Kowal
IMS
features
.............................................................................................
10
Here are the tips and tricks youll need before mil-surp
shopping.
By Dave Dolbee
Big .45 Auto
..........................................................................................
28
Call it Ol Reliable, as the 1911 has been in service for

more than a century.
By Leroy Thompson
Battle Leaders
.............................................................................
36
The top 10 military sidearms of all time may have at least

one surprise.
By Tom Harmony
Collectors Heaven
...................................................
Major Surplus is a major source for some of the best

surplus available.
By Paul Hantke
First Love
.......................................................................................................
42
46
You may have read many stories on the M1 Garand, but

youre never read a story like this.
By Stan Skinner
Weapons of War ......................52
Take a journey back in time to look at Citadels M-1 Carbine

and M-1 1911.
By Brad Fitzpatrick.
Combat Helmets
.................................................................
60
The evolution of headwear in the worlds military is a long

and winding road.
By Jim Thompson
Pg. 46
INSIDE MILITARY SURPLUS
How to Buy
003
TableofContents
The Walther P38
...................................................................
This old war dog is still a shooter today.

By Bob Campbell
IMS
columns
70 From the Editor

Opening Up
Last Look
...........................................................................................
Upgrades for Your

Old Army Mule
........................................................................................
...........................................................................
76
We have three cant-miss ways for you to teach an old gun

new tricks.
By Abe Elias
Compact Firepower
80
Three Generations
88
...................................................
Jumping into a hot zone required the right rearm, and the
M1 Carbine lled that role admirably.
By Leroy Thompson
.........................................................
This is one of the most interesting lineages of all time.

By Paul Hantke
Dream Guns
.........................................................................................
004
6
8
131
........................................................................
96
Get in, hold on and read thoroughly as we talk about some

of the biggest collectible guns out there.
By Abe Elias
Unequaled Six
......................................................................
102
We have gone where no other man has dared to go

we have selected the six most dominant military ries of
modern times.
By Chuck Taylor
Fact vs. Fiction
110
The Hi Power
116
....................................................................
Hollywood is just one of the culprits in the perpetuation of

military myths.
By Jim Thompson
..............................................................................
It is one of the most recognizable handguns in the world. It

is the Fabrique National Hi Power.
By Bob Campbell
Not Quite Right
122
The Mauser
126
.....................................................................
Buying a counterfeit collectible isnt on the top of anyones

list. Heres how to avoid that problem.
By Dave Dolbee
....................................................................................
Get up close and personal with this German battle rie.

By Wilbourne Roberts
Cover photos courtesy of Stan Skinner, Jim Thompson, Chuck Taylor,
Rock Island Auction Company and Bob Campbell.
Pg. 36
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WhereitStarts
By Doug Jeffrey
n a recent morning, marines and sailors with the

22nd Marine Expeditionary Command Element were
issued vital combat gear from within the 22nd MEU
supply warehouse.
EDITORIAL
Executive Editor:
Doug Jeffrey
Editor: Dave Dolbee
Senior Creative Director:
Eric Knagg
Art Director: Chris Pasley
Managing Editor:
Hannah Roberts
The gear included items marines and sailors would need

aboard ship, while participating in humanitarian relief,
noncombatant evacuation operations or in combat. Most of the
issued gear resists ames or simply supplements standardissue supplies. Ofcials assigned to MEU supply said that a lot
of the gear is standard for a combat deployment, where there
exists a real risk of facing the blast of an improvised explosive
device or vehicle re.
In large sections that consisted of command element
personnel, the Marines received items such as protective
gloves, desert camouage utilities and boots that were
specially designed for rugged terrain.
While we may sometimes forget it, this is where it all starts.
Contributors
Bob Campbell, Abe Elias, Brad
Fitzpatrick, Paul Hantke, Tom
Harmony, Eric Kowal, Wilbourne
Roberts, Stan Skinner, Jim
Thompson, Leroy Thompson,
Chuck Taylor
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Cpl. James J. McNeely, left, receives a desert

eld cover during a 22nd Marine Expeditionary
Unit supply issue initiative aboard Marine
Corps Base Camp in Lejeune, N.C.
Photo by Sgt. Joshua Cox
006
For many reasons, collectors crave military surplus. From

rearms, to packs, to gas masks and more, these items can
ll many roles within ones life. This magazine is devoted to
exploring the wide world of these products.
Within these 132 pages, you can step back in time and
immerse yourself in this world, relive past wars and forget
your cares and responsibilities for a brief moment. Allow Paul
Hantke, USMC retired, to delve into three generations of autoloaders. Tag along as Eric Kowal, active military, delves into the
history of the sniper rie and let pro surplus shopper Abe Elias
show you three ways to upgrade your Army mule.
While your interest in surplus can encompass all shores and
many different items, dont forget where it all begins with the
men and women of the armed forces.
As Americans, we have the strongest military in the world,
and our personnel are out there now, protecting our country,
our rights and our freedom. For that, we are forever grateful.
Whether you are active military, retired or simply an
enthusiast, enjoy the ride, brother.
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008
A MARINE AND NAVY TREASURE FROM THE 1800S

By Lance Cpl. Michelle S. Mattei | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.

For ve years, Camp Pendletons museum encased
a unique 115-year-old entity, and no one knew its true
story until a young Marine recently unmasked its origin.
A weapon initially classied as an M14 rie was
donated to the bases History and Museums ofce.
However, museum clerk and Lance Cpl. Alexander
Hitchings recognized a few distinctive characteristics
that disqualied it from such a label. Hitchings, an avid
rie enthusiast, compared the various attributes of an
M14 to the mis-titled rie.
The trigger guard and magazine well were the
distinctive elements of design, Hitchings explained. I
instantly knew it wasnt either an M1 or M14 model.
Hitchings investigation proceeded from there,
ultimately resulting in the discovery that the rie was
the Winchester 1895 Lee model.
THE DESIGNER
The M1895 Lee and Lee-Eneld ries were both

designed by the same man, James Paris Lee. One
design was sold to the American company, Winchester,
and the other to Englands Royal Small Arms Factory.
Once I plugged in Winchester along with the
patent date, the results were clear, Hitchings said. I
recognized Lees work.
BATTLE DAYS
The M1895 rie was used by the Marine Corps

during the Spanish American War and later in the Moro
Rebellion. It also saw limited action in China during the
course of the Boxer Rebellion.
The Navy only actually purchased about 15,000
of these ries, Hitchings explained. Back then, they
were provided to both the Navy landing forces and
shipboard Marines.
But the use of this weapon was not long-lived the
service of the M1895 was replaced as early as 1899,
though it was still used as a secondary weapon aboard
some Navy vessels until the 1920s. While the rie
was phased out rather quickly, elements of the design
carried over into the M16 used today.
The M1895 was magazine fed, which allows for
faster reloading, and used a small caliber, high velocity
bullet, much like what the current U.S. military uses.
The design of the bullet allows the user to shoot farther
and carry more bullets into combat.
This rie was a great catch for us, Hitchings said.
It was a very rare rie that saw service during some
of the often forgotten, but still important parts of the
Marine Corps history, and it was hiding right under our
noses for the last ve years.
Photo by Lance Cpl. Michelle S. Mattei
OPENING UP
115-Year-Old Mystery
Lost&Found
GUN SHOWS ARE A GOOD PLACE TO FIND RARE, UNIQUE WEAPONS

By Cpl. Patrick J. Floto, USMC
In all of this commotion, remember that the

real reason to check out a gun show is for hardto-nd collectors weapons and memorabilia.
When purchasing rare guns and
memorabilia, ensure that you do your research
before shelling out for that cool trinket that
caught your eye. Make sure that you know
exactly what you are looking for, and its value,
before making a purchase.
Keeping the Past Alive
THOSE RARE WEAPONS
Photo courtesy of Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The audience at the gun show didnt represent the stereotypical clientele one might expect to encounter at
one of these types of events.
The rst table at which I stopped was active with a group of teenagers engaged in a heated debate over
which paintball gun was superior. At the neighboring table, stacked with World War II-era military surplus, I
overheard a couple of World War II veterans swapping anecdotes about the wares.
Vendors range from nationwide companies selling the latest and greatest in aftermarket military and survival
technology to independent collectors selling hard-to-nd war memorabilia and other antiques. One could
emerge from the gun show decked out in
standard issue military gear from both sides of
most wars of the 20th and 21st centuries.
009
HISTORICAL COMPANY BRINGS CORPS MEMORABILIA BACK TO LIFE

By Sgt. Jose E. Guillen | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Memories of World War II

REMEMBERING HEROES OF THE GREATEST GENERATION
By Sgt. Michael T. Knight | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. The historical Casa Romantica of San Clemente, Calif. opened a special exhibit,
named Memories of World War II, with a ceremony that honored veterans.
The guest of honor at the affair was Medal of Honor recipient Walter D. Ehlers, who received the medal for
actions of gallantry during the battles surrounding D-day, in June 1944.
The exhibit featured war photos from the archives of the Associated Press that included a large photo of
the ag raising at the Battle of Iwo Jima. Outside of the facility were fully functional World War II-era vehicles,
provided by the California Historical Group. IMS
OPENING UP
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. Heads high, backs straight and ries at sling arms,
the Marine Corps Historical Company arrived at Camp Talega for a ve-day training cycle on the base.
Active-duty Marines, veterans and history enthusiasts make up the nonprot organization. Donations from
various museums keep the company marching.
Like a reserve unit, the company gathers for the public when called upon to boast their authentic World War
II and Vietnam uniforms. They also provide static displays of original equipment used in wars.
We go beyond the museums. We bring the museum to you, said retired Gunnery Sgt. Thomas E. Williams,
the groups director. I have points of contact nationwide and if nances permit, well provide a historical
presentation and expose our traditions using real-life uniforms and equipment.
Treasure
Hunt
HOW TO BUY, COLLECT AND REPURPOSE MILITARY SURPLUS GEAR AND EQUIPMENT
By Dave Dolbee
010
Photos Courtesy of Cheaper Than Dirt
o, you want to start collecting military

surplus gear or maybe you have just
compared modern hunting and camping
equipment prices to surplus prices.
Whatever the reason, your curiosity
has been piqued, and youre interested
in purchasing military surplus items.
Maybe you have questions and concerns about quality
and condition, which would be totally understandable.

Well, good news! Inside Military Surplus has the
Continued Next Page.
answers to get you started. Judging via a picture online
or a catalog spread can be difcult, and nding credible
information or reviews may be equally challenging.
There are a limited number of resources when you
attempt to research a particular piece especially
when it comes to foreign military surplus.
011
012
Not sure where to start? Here is a quickstart guide to use as a good rst step to
beginning your collection.
The rst thing to do is determine the
reason or reasons you are interested in
military surplus to narrow your initial search.
See the sidebar.
With the exception of highly collectible,
extremely rare and incredibly expensive
items, such as authentic German WWII Third
Reich pieces, Civil War swords and similar
items, surplus gear is extremely affordable,
absolutely functional and very durable.
Highly collectible items are extremely difcult
to nd and include a hefty price tag.
If you are planning to collect items
related to a certain era or conict, do some
research. In some countries the items may
even be illegal to own. Aanything a fallen
leader owned or touched commands a high
price and high demand in certain circles. I
once knew of a sword believed to be owned
by Yamamoto in his teenage years. While
the owner was researching it with experts
for authenticity, he drew the attention of the
Japanese government, which immediately
began laying a foundation to claim it as a
national treasure if certied.
In addition to serious collectors, military
surplus gear is popular with hunters,
campers and preppers. Beyond BDUs, gas
masks, tents and packs, the market has
recently seen a resurgence of interest in
military surplus guns. Leading that charge
in popularity is the Mosin Nagant. A few
years ago, you could pick up one of these in
decent condition for less than $100. Cheaper
Than Dirt!, a great source for military surplus
items of all types, recently had them for just
over $100 on a sale, so there is still hope.
Historically, military surplus ries are easy
to nd, affordable and cheap to feed; plus,
many people nd them a joy to shoot. They
have plenty of accuracy for plinking at the
target range or taking game at reasonable
ranges. They also make suitable rst
gun for a new shooter due to the price;
however, there is always a but. While the
ries are cheap and get the job done, they
were designed for soldiers in battle. Old
military surplus guns kick like a mule with a
hangover and may turn off our new shooters
to the shooting sports before they develop a
love for the game.
START HERE
013
CIVILIANS HANDS
The United States military buys its equipment on

contract from large manufacturers such as BAE or
Federal/ATK. So how do companies such as Cheaper
Than Dirt, Major Surplus and others end up with these
things? Simply put, the military gives up its obsolete,
excess and out-of-date gear and equipment to
Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Disposition Services
that, in turn, sell or auction it off.
Once equipment, gear and supplies become demilled (which means retired, replaced with new gear,
considered old or obsolete, no longer used ... such
as when units go inactive, missions change or when
supplies are in excess), the United States and foreign
militaries auction the gear. Another potential source
is private entities recovering long forgotten military
equipment from storage in bunkers and warehouses.
For example, the military would contract out for a
product such as a poncho. That manufacturer then
Best Places to Buy

Military Surplus
014
CHEAPER THAN DIRT!
2058 W University Dr
McKinney, TX 75071
(469) 952-6200
www,cheaperthandirt.com
MAJOR SURPLUS
435 W Alondra Blvd

Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 324-8855
www.majorsurplus.com
stores the product off-site. During WWII, bombs hit

many of those factories. After the war, forgotten-about
storage, incorrectly inventoried supplies and simply
abandoned storage mean that decades later people
can still recover those old military supplies.
The United States will also sell old supplies to
foreign militaries. The government sells that surplus
to try to recoup at least some of the large amounts
of money spent on equipment. From airplane
parts to paper and printers even a donkey or a
hovercraft the government auctions almost all of
its once-owned property. However, the government
destroys or renders inoperable some items such as
military vehicles and complete aircraft. They do that
so useable military equipment will not fall into the
wrong hands. Certain ammo cans and newly retired
equipment also are equipment civilians cannot buy.
European surplus is unique in that it is not sold off
until at least three years after decommissioning.
015
016
GRADING SYSTEM
There is no official
standardized grading
system for military
surplus gear. Everyone
who sells the gear
defines its condition
differently.
Best Places to Buy

Collectibles
ROCK ISLAND AUCTION CO.
7819 42nd Street West
Rock Island, IL 61201
800-238-8022
www.rockislandauction.com
JAMES D. JULIA, INC.

203 Skowhegan Rd.
Faireld, ME 04937
800-565-9298
www.jamesdjulia.com
There is no ofcial standardized grading system for military surplus gear. Everyone who sells the gear denes its
condition differently. Even though a company or store says it is in good condition, the buyer might think otherwise.
Cheaper Than Dirt! developed its own grading system when listing military surplus gear. Cheaper Than Dirt!
considers all military surplus products used, even though some is in new unissued condition. It categorizes military
surplus in the following four conditions:
New, unissued
Grade I Used, in like new to excellent condition
Grade II Used, in good condition, may show minor use
Grade III Used, in fair condition, will show normal wear and tear from daily use
Cheaper Than Dirt!s resident surplus experts and buyers pick out its surplus goods for many reasons. They
choose items when good price and good quality align, and also when they nd collectible items high in demand.
The team also considers curious, unique or interesting items that come up for sale not readily available or easily
obtained such as a body bag or a surgical suction pump. Findings include clothing, sleeping bags, tents, bags
and other material goods that serve as an affordable alternative to modern clothing, camping equipment and bags
especially when cotton prices are high. Many commercial products, such as backpacks and cold weather-rated
sleeping bags, are much more expensive or of much lesser quality than typical surplus gear.
017
Old military surplus guns

kick like a mule with a
hangover and may turn off
our new shooters to the
shooting sports before
they develop a love for
the game.
018
019
ID, TRACK
Another item of interest to new collectors is the

National Stock Number or NSN. The NSN is the
number assigned to items requested by the government
and recognized by NATO as a way to identify, track,
standardize and organize products. The NSN system
began in WWII to standardize and classify items the
same way throughout every branch of the military. This
13-digit code always appears in the same format: four
numbers followed by a dash, two numbers followed by
a dash, two more numbers followed by a dash and then
four nal numbers. An example number would look like
this: 1234-56-78-9101.
Called the Federal Supply Class, the rst four
numbers dene the type of item. The next two numbers
designate the country of origin not the manufacturing
country, but the country requesting the item. Finally, the

last six digits are randomly assigned. The designations
for the United States are 00 and 01. For example,
when you read the magnesium re starters NSN, it
is 4240-01-160-5618, and the U.S.G.I Kevlar PASGT
helmets number is 8470-01-300-3819. You can see
that the second number in both sets is 01, meaning the
United States requested the product. The NSN often
appears in the extended descriptions such as on a
case of weapons oil or a USMC pilot survival kit. If you
are a collector, you may nd this information helpful in
organizing your own stockpile of supplies.
PERSONAL ADVENTURE
Collecting military surplus is akin to a treasure hunt and

your personal adventure is just around the corner. IMS
The
020
Evolution
of the
Sniper Rifle
A STRATEGIC GUNS JOURNEY FROM THE 19TH CENTURY UNTIL NOW
By Eric Kowal
oth military and law enforcement

ofcers often nd themselves
in need of a weapon capable of
taking out an adversary at a great
distance while simultaneously
needing something that wont give
up their concealment or be easily
detected. Sniper ries, as they are commonly known,
have evolved tremendously over the years. Todays
sniper ries provide the upper hand to the warghter
hiding in delade who is aiming to take out the enemy in
the rugged mountain terrain, as well as the SWAT team
sharpshooter primed and ready to take down the bad
guy in a hostage situation.
Reach Out and Touch Someone
A sniper rie is a precision weapon used to ensure

more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges
than traditional small arms. It is often assumed that any
scoped rie is a sniper, and while certain long guns are
more suited for this use than others, it is the use of a
weapon as a sniper that classies the rie as such.
A typical sniper rie is built for optimal levels of
accuracy, tted with a telescopic sight and chambered
for a military centerre cartridge. The term is often used
in the media to describe any type of accurized rearm
tted with a telescopic sight that is employed against
human targets, although sniping rie or snipers rie
is the technically correct term for such a gun.
The military role of a sniper (a term derived from

the Snipe a bird that was difcult to hunt and shoot)
dates back to the turn of the 18th century, but the true
sniper rie is a much more recent development.
Advances in technology, specically telescopic
sights and more accurate manufacturing, allowed
armies to equip specially-trained soldiers with ries
that enabled them to deliver precise shots over greater
distances than regular infantry weapons. The
rie itself could be based on a standard rie (at rst a
bolt-action rie); however, when tted with a telescopic
sight, it became a sniper rie.
First Sniper Rifles
For the sake of brevity, we cannot go through every

single sniper rie, but we can cover a few that have
made an impact and had a lasting effect on what our
professionals are using today.
Harpers Ferry 1803 Flintlock
The Harpers Ferry 1803 U.S. Flintlock rie showed

Kentucky-style inuences specically to emulate the
accurate civilian ries that preceded it. While slow to
load, the rie offered far superior range and accuracy
to the muskets before it. Originally made from 1803
to 1807, production began again in 1814 for the war
effort (continuing up until 1820). As the rst true military

production rie, the Flintlocks place in history is
relevant to the tactics of the day. Many military ofcers
still felt that the best way to ght a war was standing in
formation and ring in volley with smoothbore muskets
capable of point-target accuracy to approximately 125
meters. The rie effectively doubled that distance to
300 meters or more. This .54-caliber weapon was 48
inches in length and weighed 9 pounds. Similar ries
revolutionized infantry tactics by making accuracy, not
volume of re, a soldiers primary concern.
Whitworth Rifle
The Whitworth rie was arguably the rst longrange sniper rie in the world. Designed by Sir Joseph
Whitworth, a prominent British engineer, it used twisted
hexagonal barrels instead of traditional round-ried
barrels, which meant that the projectile did not have
to bite into grooves as was done with conventional
riing. His rie was far more accurate than the Pattern
1853 Eneld of the time, which had shown some
weaknesses during the recent Crimean War. At trials
in 1857, which tested the accuracy and range of both
weapons, Whitworths design outperformed the Eneld
at a rate of about three to one. The Whitworth rie was
able to hit the target at a range of 2,000 yards, whereas
the Eneld could only manage as far as 1,400 yards.
Snipers with Weapons Company, Battalion

Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine
Regiment sight-in their M-40A3 sniper ries.
History
021
022
Sharp 1859 Berdan
The Sharp 1859 Berdan Contract Rie

was the rst of the slightly lighter and
shorter weapons with increased accuracy.
The Berdan came in at 47 inches in
length and weighed 8 pounds, but it had
a range of more than 600 yards. Colonel
Hiram Berdan had a novel concept at the
outset of the Civil War. His intent was to
enlist a few hundred of the best marksmen
available and arm them with the most
advanced ries of the time. These men
were to become the 1st and 2nd Regiments
of United States Sharpshooters (USSS),
the countrys military precursor to modern
snipers and Special Forces.
The initial order was placed January
27, 1862, for 1,000 ries, but this was
later increased to 2,000 ries and 200,000
cartridges. Then, before the company had
a chance to begin manufacturing, Col.
Berdan decided to add double set triggers
(of the hair trigger variety) and a dull blue
nish to the barrel. The ries produced saw
action in numerous skirmishes and battles
including Gettysburg.
While most ries of the day had effective

ranges of 125 to 400 yards, these Sharps
ries were said to have accuracy to 900
yards as evidenced by the extra notch
cut into the top of the rear sight.
Turn of the Century

Springfield 1903
The M1903 Springeld bolt-action service

rie was the standard infantry rie of the
American Army throughout its participation
in World War I. It continued in service into
World War II, then saw limited use in the
Korean and Vietnam conicts. The design
had its origins in the tried-and-proven
German Mauser action that many other
bolt-action rie designs of the time had
adopted (or outright copied). The result was
a capable long gun with accuracy at range
and a wholly reliable internal mechanism
that made it a success for much of its
career. After it eventually fell out of widescale use as a standard infantry rie, the
M1903 found a second life as a dedicated
sniper rie and in second-line support roles
for guard and defense duty.
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand was ofcially adopted in 1936 as

the rst semiautomatic main battle rie in the hands of
infantrymen. As with past issued guns, improvements
were quickly made in accuracy and optics. The M1C
Garand is an earlier sniper rie in which the scope was
mounted directly onto the receiver. Later, a mounting
bracket was devised, resulting in the M1D.
Equipped with a 2.2X M84 telescope, an improvement
over the earlier M82, it used synthetic rubber gaskets
to protect against water hazards and shock damage.
The M84 was produced in limited numbers during WWII,
since it was authorized in 1945, but it was extensively
produced during the Korean War. A few examples were
even seen in combat in Vietnam. Other features on
this rie include the T4 cheek pad and the integral T-37
ash-hider, which replaced the removable cone-shaped
M2 ash-hider in 1958. Despite the adoption of the M14,
Garands continued to be used as sniper ries through
the mid-1960s. Today, the M1 Garand is still one of the
most sought-after weapons for any shooters arsenal.
Remington M40
The Remington M40 is a bolt-action sniper rie used

by the United States Marine Corps. It has had four
variants: the M40, M40A1, M40A3 and M40A5. The
M40 was introduced in 1966. The changeover to the A1
model was completed in the 1970s, the A3 in the 2000s
and the A5 in 2009.
M24
The M24 Sniper Weapon System consists of a

Remington 700 with a long action, an H&S precision
stock, an aluminum bedding block and a Leupold
Ultra M3A or Leupold Mark 4. First elded in 1988, it
was widely distributed throughout the Army by 1992.
The long action was intended for a .300 Winchester
Magnum cartridge, but that was later changed to the
familiar 7.62x51mm NATO. The long Winchester action
was retained to allow the rie to be easily upgraded to
.300 Winchester Magnum (M24A2) for longer ranges.
Accuracy with the M24 is unquestioned to 900 yards
and effective to 1,200 yards nearly the limit of
the 7.62mm NATO round. With the .300 Winchester
Magnum, targets can be engaged well beyond that
mark. In 2010, the U.S. Army indicated a desire to retire
and upgrade the M24, though it remained popular with
the units carrying it. The M24 would later be replaced by
the M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rie.
A Marine prepares to re his M40 sniper rie

during the Known Distance Course portion of
the Scout Sniper Basic Course. Students in
the course re at targets ranging from 300 to
1,000 yards, developing the skills needed to
become Marine Scout Snipers.
The Springeld M1903 weighed 11.6 pounds and was

the rst .30-06-caliber weapon of its kind, extending its
reach to more than 700 yards. It would eventually be
replaced by the M1 Garand.
023
024
M107 Semi-Automatic Long

Range Sniper Rifle (LRSR)
The M107 LRSR res .50-caliber ammunition

and is capable of delivering precise, rapid re on
targets out to 2,000 meters. This greatly exceeds the
terminal effect capability of the M2010, M110 or M24
sniper ries. It is especially valuable during military
operations in urban terrain, where greater repower
and standoff ranges provide countersniper capability
while enhancing sniper survivability.
M110 Semi-Automatic
Sniper System (SASS)
The M110 SASS is the U.S. Armys mediumcaliber sniper rie that supplements the snipers
role to support combat operations with greater
repower and versatility. The 7.62mm SASS brings
semiautomatic capability to sniper teams and is
particularly effective in urban areas, where there
are multiple targets and frequent close-combat
situations. The M110 comes with a suppressor and
incorporates a 3.5x10X scope with an illuminated mil
reticle. It also comes with a M151 Enhanced Spotting
Scope. The SASS is about 40 inches in length
when the buttstock is fully compressed and weighs
17.3 pounds when the suppressor is attached.
The M107 Semi-Automatic Long Range Sniper Rie (LRSR)

res .50-caliber ammunition. It is capable of delivering
precise, rapid re on targets out to 2,000 meters. This
greatly exceeds the terminal effect capability of the M2010,
M110 and M24 sniper ries. It is especially valuable
during military operations in urban terrain, where greater
repower and standoff ranges provide countersniper
capability while enhancing sniper survivability. The rie is
a commercial off-the-shelf weapon. It incorporates a dualchamber detachable muzzlebrake, dual barrel springs and
a long-mainspring design to reduce weapon recoil.
The M107 leverages a variable-power day optic sight and
a 10-round detachable box magazine. It weighs 35 pounds
(combat ready). The LRSR includes folding front and rear
sights, a uted match-grade barrel, a detachable carrying
handle, a rubber recoil pad, rear grips and a Picatinny
rail. The Mk211-Mod0 (A606), Caliber .50, Multi-purpose
Cartridge is the preferred tactical ammunition against antimaterial targets. It is employed by all U.S. military services
as well as 60 additional armies around the world.
The XM2010 is distinguished by its advanced design and represents a quantum

upgrade from the M24. The shooter interface can be tailored to accommodate
a wide range of shooter preferences, and its folding stock provides the soldier
exibility in transporting the weapon during operations. The weapon also
incorporates advanced corrosion-resistant coatings to ensure longevity. The
aluminum, steel and high-impact polymers used in the weapons construction are
lightweight and rugged.
The ESR is equipped with a Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20x50mm scope. The variablepower scope includes a rst-focal-plane reticle, so when the user dials it in, the
reticle pattern scales with the zoom, enabling the sniper to estimate range at any
power setting. The scope also employs a reticle pattern that facilitates faster and
more accurate range estimation and utilizes mil turret adjustments to eliminate
MOA-to-mil conversion. The targeting stadia reticle allows for simultaneous
elevation and windage holds that eliminate the need to dial in adjustments.
025
026
The Harpers Ferry 1803 U.S. Flintlock was

the rst true military production rie and
doubled the effective distance of the ries of
the day to 300 meters or more. It earned its
place by radically changing military tactics.
Formerly known as the XM2010

Enhanced Sniper Rie and M24
Recongured Sniper Weapon System,
the M2010 is a sniper rie developed by
the Program Executive Ofce (PEO) for
the United States Army. It is derived from
the M24 Sniper Weapon System, and it
replaced the existing M24s.
The M2010 system differs from the prior
M24 Sniper Weapon System in that the
M2010 res .300 Winchester Magnum
ammunition to provide approximately
50 percent additional effective range
relative to the M24s 7.62x51mm NATO.
This chambering to dimensionally larger
cartridges is possible because the M24
Sniper Weapon System was designed
to use the long-action version of the
Remington 700 receiver. The additional
effective range helps snipers involved in
engagements in mountainous and desert
terrain. The most common penalties for
using bigger, more powerful magnum
rie ammunition compared with smaller,
nonmagnum standard rie cartridges are
increases in recoil, jump, ash, weight and
general barrel wear.
Knights Mk11 Mod10
This Navy sniper rie is an enhanced

version of the commercial model SR25, co-developed by Eugene Stoner. Its
features include the replacement of the
berglass handguard with an aluminum rail
that allows for the rapid addition or removal
of accessories such as night vision, a
rangender or a ashlight.
The Mk11 Mod10 is the rst sniper
system to include suppressor capability
with every factory rie. The ANPVS-26
night vision quickly attaches to the rail,
allowing ambient light to pass through
directly to the day sight.
As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
progressed, it became increasingly
apparent that semiautomatic accuracy
and reliability were needed in a target-rich
environment. These environmental factors
have changed the role of modern snipers.
The Mk11 Mod10 has been adopted by
U.S. Navy SEALs and SOCOM, and it is
the foundation for the U.S. Armys current
model M110 SASS, which utilizes many of
the same features. IMS
M2010 Enhanced
Sniper Rifle
027
028
The
1911 Big
.45 Auto
THE JOURNEY OF THE U.S. 1911 AND 1911A1 SERVICE PISTOLS
By Leroy Thompson
fter more than

a century of
service, the big
.45 auto is still
going strong.
First adopted
as one might
guess in 1911, the 1911 Service
Pistol is still serving with U.S. troops
today. In fact, the U.S. Marine Corps
recently contracted with Colt to
purchase new 1911-type guns. Lets
take a look at its eventful journey.
First Famous .45
The U.S. Army had used another

famous .45-caliber handgun, the
Colt Single Action Army, as its
service weapon from 1873 until
near the end of the 19th century.
However, in the 1890s, the armed
forces adopted revolvers that

were chambered for the .38 Colt
cartridge. As long as these revolvers
functioned as status symbols
for ofcers rather than as killing
implements, they seemed to sufce.
During the Philippine Insurrection
of 18991902, the .38 Colts proved
inadequate to stop fanatical Moro
tribesmen, who often absorbed a
cylinderful of 150-grain bullets and
still proceeded to hack apart U.S.
troops. Thus, as early as 1900,
U.S. Army Ordnance ofcers began
testing various automatic pistols for
future adoption.
Tests of ammunition stopping
power had also determined that a
bullet of not less than .45 caliber
was most desirable for a service
pistol. The poor performance of
the .38-caliber revolvers in the

Philippines was the impetus to
search for a new service handgun.
Various automatic pistols were
tested, including .38 Colts and .30
Lugers, but they were ultimately
deemed unacceptable.
Therefore, the Ordnance Board
put out bid specs for a .45-caliber
automatic pistol. The cartridge
for the pistol had already been
designed and would eventually be
designated the UMS M1909 round,
which red a .45-caliber, 230-grain
bullet at 850 FPS.
On January 31, 1906, the Chief
of Ordnance sent a letter to various
rearms manufacturers soliciting
revolvers or automatic pistols for
use primarily by U.S. Army cavalry
and light artillerymen. All guns had
Candidates and Trials
Three automatic pistols did well

enough that they were deemed
worthy of additional testing: a
DWM Luger, a Savage and a Colt.
DWM decided that it was not costeffective to continue in the trials, so
it dropped out. As a result, the U.S.
Trials .45 Lugers are so rare that
one sold for $1 million.
Subsequently, Colt and Savage
were given orders for 200 pistols
for additional testing. The Ordnance
Board sent example guns to various
infantry, cavalry and artillery units
for evaluation. There were multiple
problems with both the Colt and the
Savage during eld trials, so both
pistols were tweaked and submitted
for new trials in 1910. Neither pistol
was considered ready for military
adoption, so engineers at the two
manufacturers continued work to
prepare pistols for a new test on
March 15, 1911.
The Colt Wins
During this test, the Colt

dramatically outperformed the
Savage and was adopted as the

Model 1911 pistol. The contract
called for the U.S. government to
pay Colt $14.25 for each pistol
with one magazine; additional
magazines would cost 50 cents
each. Colt also agreed that the
Ordnance Department could
manufacture the 1911 pistol if a $2
royalty was paid for each pistol.
On April 21, 1911, Colt received
the rst U.S. government order for
31,344 pistols, as well as two spare
magazines per pistol and additional
Tests of ammunition
stopping power had
determined that a
bullet of not less than
.45 caliber was the
most desirable for a
service pistol.
spare parts. Deliveries to the Army
began in January 1912. By the end
of that year, the Army had received
9,950 pistols, the Navy 7,000 pistols
and the Marine Corps 300 pistols.
On December 27, 1912,
Springeld Armory received an
order for 11,285 pistols to be
produced under royalty. Springeld

Armory managed to produce pistols
for $13.26, including the $2 royalty,
for a savings of just under $1 each.
By the beginning of 1917, just
over 68,530 of the 1911 pistols had
been delivered to the U.S. Armed
Forces. Contracts for an additional
141,970 had been given to Colt and
to Springeld Armory. However,
during 1917, Springeld Armory
stopped producing 1911 pistols to
concentrate on producing the U.S.
M1903 Service Rie, which left Colt
as the sole supplier.
World War I
The U.S. had entered World War

I during April 1917, necessitating
a vast increase in small-arms
production. In June 1917, Colt
received a contract for an additional
500,000 of the 1911 pistols.
However, a January 1918 Ordnance
Department study indicated the
need for 2.5 million pistols by the
end of 1918 due to the closequarters combat in the trenches.
Orders for Colt and S&W 1917
revolvers that could re the .45 ACP
service cartridges with half-moon
clips were quickly placed to cover
some of the shortfall.
The Board sought other
manufacturers for the 1911 pistol
Photo courtesy of the NARA
U.S. Marine artillerymen training

in 1913. Note the M1911 pistols in
their holsters.
to chamber either the .45 Service

Revolver cartridge (.45 Colt)
or the .45 automatic cartridge.
Although more than 20 suppliers
were contacted, only eight of them
submitted pistols for the trials.
029
030
A World War II U.S. paratrooper

carries his 1911/1911A1 pistol so
that he will have a weapon if his
rie or SMG happens to get lost
during a jump.
031
A disassembled Remington UMC 1911 pistol.

One problem with the 1911 has always been
its somewhat-complicated disassembly, which
includes many parts that can get lost.
as well. In December 1917, Remington Arms was given an order for

150,000 of the 1911s, which was upped to 500,000 in March 1918.
However, the war ended four months later, and Remington ended up
producing only 21,677 of the pistols.
The 1911 had performed very well in the trenches, and troops were
quite satised with its reliability and stopping power. In fact, troops not
authorized to carry 1911s did everything they could to acquire them.
Still, the Ordnance Department requested changes in future production
based on reports from the eld.
The
1911 Big
.45 Auto
032
Through The Years 1911 timeline

1899 1902
The .38 Colts cannot

stop Moro tribesmen.
The U.S. Army begins employing

the Colt Single Action Army as
its service weapon.
1873
1906
The Chief of Ordnance sends

a letter to various rearms
manufacturers soliciting
revolvers for the Army.
U.S. Army Ordnance

ofcers begin testing
other automatic pistols.
1900
1911
Colt dramatically outperforms

its competitor and is adopted
as the Model 1911 pistol.
After problems in earlier

tests, both the Colt
and the Savage are
submitted for new trials.
1910
After the U.S. enters

World War I, Colt
receives a contract for
500,000 more 1911s.
1917
Requested changes
included a shorter trigger and
a frame cutout behind the
trigger. The at mainspring
housing was replaced with an
arched mainspring housing,
the grip-safety spur was
lengthened, the front sight
was widened, the hammer
spur was shortened, and
the double diamonds on the
grips were eliminated to make
checkering easier and less

costly. Looking at it from a
shooting point of view, the
most useful additions were the
curved recoil-spring housing
that kept the hand from riding
up during recoil and the
longer grip-safety spur that
helped eliminate hammer bite.
These and a few other minor
design changes were made,
resulting in the new-production
pistols being designated the

1911A1. The rst pistols that
incorporated the changes fell
in the 700,000710,000 serialnumber range in 1924.
At the end of WWI, the U.S.
armed forces were downsized,
leaving a sufcient stock of
1911 pistols for their needs.
Some of the guns had gone
to armories for refurbishment
after hard use in France.
Photo courtesy of Leroy Thompson
033
1917
A government study indicates

the need for 2.5 million
pistols.
1941
For WWII, Colt begins

producing 5,000 1911A1
pistols per month.
2014
Colt produces the M45A1

CQBP for the Marines.
World War II troops training
with the 1911A1 (and
possibly some 1911s).
The rst-year changes

in the 1911 are
incorporated.
1924
The Beretta M9
replaces the 1911.
1985
The Colt Service Model Ace

was designed to give the
armed forces a .22-caliber
training pistol for the
1911A1 pistol.
034
However, in September 1940, the U.S. instituted

its rst-ever peacetime draft in preparation for the
looming possibility of World War II. More troops would
necessitate more weapons, including pistols.
By December 1941, Colt was producing 5,000
1911A1 pistols per month for the armed forces. Various
manufacturers were considered for additional 1911A1
production. Singer a well-known sewing machine
company produced 500 of the 1911A1s for the U.S.
Air Force. Although Singer was offered a contract for
15,000 more, it chose to do other war work. As a result,
Singer 1911A1s are highly valued by collectors.
Besides Colt, three other companies produced a
substantial number of 1911A1 pistols during World
War II. The largest producer was Remington Rand, a
typewriter company, which delivered 877,751 pistols. In
addition, the Ithaca Gun Company produced 335,466,
and Union Switch & Signal produced 55,000.
To speed up production, World War II 1911A1 pistols
had Parkerized nishes and plastic grips, as well as a
few minor changes to the sights, mainspring housing,
hammer and trigger. Remaining stocks of 1911 pistols
were also issued. Enough 1911 and 1911A1 pistols
remained after World War II to supply troops in Korea
and Vietnam, and they were refurbished as needed.
New Kid
In 1985, the Beretta M9 ofcially replaced the

1911/1911A1. However, like a persistent zombie, the
1911 continued to rise from the dead among U.S. troops
Marines kept using 1911 or 1911A1 pistols whenever
they could. For MEU(SOC) (Marine Expeditionary
Unit [Special Operations Capable]) personnel, Marine
armorers rebuilt pistols in the inventory as accurate,
reliable weapons for the operators.
When the rst Marines were assigned to Special
Operations Command, these MARSOC (Marine Special
Operations Command) operators obtained Kimber
1911-type pistols built to their specications. Today,
Colt produces the M45A1 Close Quarters Battle Pistol
(CQBP) for the Marine MARSOC, MEU(SOC), Recons
and Special Reaction Teams.
100 Strong
Now, more than 100 years after the rst Colt 1911
pistols were issued to U.S. troops, Colt is once again
evolving the pistols design for modern U.S. troops.
There are various reasons for the continued popularity of
the 1911 pistol with frontline troops, but most will say
like their forerunners in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam
that a big .45 bullet puts the enemy down, and he
stays down. IMS
About the author: Leroy Thompson, who has been writing about
rearms and the military for years, has written several books.
Jumping Jim Gavin, the World

War II commander of the 82nd
Airborne Division, prepares for a
jump, his .45 pistol on his hip.
The
1911 Big
.45 Auto
035
Photo courtesy of Sig Sauer
BATTLE
036
LEADERS
About the author: Tom Harmony is a freelance
writer who is based in the Midwest.
THE TOP 10 MILITARY SIDEARMS OF ALL TIME

By Tom Harmony
Gun Photos courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company
ow do you dene greatness?

In compiling this list, we considered a
number of factors, including design, battle
performance, cartridge, performance,
comparable technology of the day and
reliability versus practicality.
Whats so great? Youre about to see.
Favored by every elite military

or police unit around the world
at one time or another, the SIG
simply lives up to its To Hell
and Back reputation.
Its been through more than a century of service, and who wouldnt take the
1911 into combat today? In fact, do a little homework. You will nd that there
are more manufacturers of the 1911, which is the brainchild of John Moses
Browning, today than at any other time in history.
The M1911 and its variants were used in the United States Army from 1911
through 1985. However, that paints an incomplete picture, because some carried
the 1911 in the early 1990s during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
The 1911 saw combat in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam
War, Desert Storm and numerous smaller conicts. The Colt 1911 brought the
introduction of the .45 ACP cartridge, which still remains a popular choice among
competitive shooters and self-defense enthusiasts.
Modern 1911s should have no problem shooting any of the premium self-defense
rounds, but good ol round nose ball ammunition has done the trick for over a century
and is just as formidable today
Cz
75
Balance, reliability, quality and versatility are common descriptors youll
hear when discussing the CZ 75. If the staggered-column magazine does
not provide the necessary repower to get the job done, nothing beats the
CZ 75s all-steel construction for pistol-whipping the enemy into submission.
Versions of the CZ 75 are made by several different countries and
companies, as well as being exported from the Czech Republic to a host of different
countries. Have you ever heard of a bad version?
Colt
1911a1
037
sig
P226
Favored by every elite military or police unit around the world at one time
or another, the SIG simply lives up to its To Hell and Back reputation.
The simple fact that it earned the top spot with Navy SEALs makes it
worthy of a place on our list. The SIG 226 is another combat sidearm relying on
John Brownings concepts of a locked breech and short-recoil design. Notable
on the P226 is its use of an integral safety that prevents the ring pin from
striking the primer unless the trigger is fully engaged.
The double action/single action offers a blend of safety, accuracy and quick
engagement potential. Although the P226 is best known for a steady diet of
9mm, it is also available in .357 SIG, .40 S&W and .22 LR.
038
glock
17
The GLOCK 17 ranks on the list, although it may wear an asterisk. First
coming into service in 1982, Gaston Glock took a play from H&Ks playbook
and rocked the rearms market with dominant polymer construction. The
media mainly fed the hype, but despite their worst efforts, Glocks design
consistently proved its worth.
The U.S. military has never made Glock a standard issue; however, Glock
is a favorite of law enforcement and makes up a huge share of the U.S. handgun
market. Although some claim the GLOCK 17 has never seen acceptance by a
major military force in combat, it has been issued to about a dozen military forces.
That fact in itself is enough to qualify the G17 as a combat pistol, although some
would claim that that actually diminishes its rank.
Due to its size and weight (28 ounces), this handgun was popular with
Japanese troops. The sights were far from outstanding and the trigger pull
was heavy, but the cartridge got the job done.
The 94 featured a locked breech design with the falling-block principle and
a reciprocating slide with a separate bolt assembly. The handgun also had an
external sear and a peculiar grip with six rounds. Some may argue that the grip
was small, but many Japanese soliders were on the small side. The recoil is
moderate as well and does not require the use of a larger grip for control.
Many consider Kijiro Nambu (1869-1949) to be the John Browning of Japan,
as he was involved in the design of many weapons that were used by Imperial
Japan during the course of WWII.
nambu
type 94 pistol
039
luger
9mm po8
The Luger is an enigma.
Given the opportunity, we would have left it off of the list altogether. On the other hand,
it is so darned iconic and has more than earned its spot on this list.
Although originally designed and introduced for use with the 7.65 x 21mm Parabellum
cartridge, the Luger is most noteworthy as the pistol that introduced the 9 x 19mm
Parabellum cartridge. That inuence on gun culture certainly cannot be overlooked or in
any way diminished.
The Luger 9mm is still highly prized and sought after by collectors who admire it for its
design and its known accuracy. Lugers were highly prized by GIs in WWI and WWII, and
many of the guns found their way to our shores as war souvenirs. A fortunate few are
still in circulation and can be owned for a reasonable price.
beretta
92FS
Another offering utilizing the 9mm is the U.S. Armys choice since the late
1980s, the Beretta 92SF.
This 92SF features low recoil, an open slide design offering even feeding
and discharge of bullets and best of all, easy and intuitive usage. The 92SF is
not without its critics, however. More than one vet returning from the sandbox
has declared that he would not give a plug nickel for it. While they may have
their reasons, the 92SF bested the competition in Army trials and has stood the
test of time for over 25 years.
The 92SF can currently be found in models designed to shoot the 9 x 19mm
Parabellum (92 Series), .40 S&W (96 series), 9 x 21mm IMI (98 series) and
7.65mm Luger (98 and 99 series).
040
h&k
usp
The reliability and accuracy of Heckler & Kochs USP (Universale
Selbstladepistole or universal self-loading pistol) earns a solid spot on
the list. The USP shows a strong inuence from the venerable 1911. The
modied Browning-style action and recoil reduction system enhance accuracy
and get the shooter back on target faster than competitive designs.
The USPs controls can easily switch to accommodate left-handers. The trigger
converts from single action to double action to double-action-only, which gives
H&Ks USP some serious versatility. Add it all up and you have a sidearm that
features nine trigger ring modes, an oversized trigger guard for use with gloves
and patented lockout safety device.
John Browning and his inspired designs have been mentioned more than
once in this article, and we are not nished heaping our praises on him.
The Browning Hi Power went into production in 1935, but manufacturing
of this single-action, 9mm semi-automatic pistol continues to present day. The
Browning Hi Power earns its place as one of the most widely used military
pistols in history. Although Browning passed away before the pistols design
was nalized, Brownings groundwork produced one of the nest single-actions
pistols the world has ever seen or likely will ever see.
Almost eight decades later, the Browning Hi Power is still in use by several
military units. In all, the Browning Hi Power has ridden the hips of over 50
countries military units.
browning
hi power
041
c96 mauser
broomhandle
The C96 Mauser Broomhandle proved the viability of the semiautomatic pistol in both commercial and
military use, and that is no small feat. The C96 utilizes an integral box magazine located in front of the
pistols trigger and likely inspired other modern rie designs. Other notable features include the C96s
long barrel and wooden shoulder stock that also doubles as a holster. The namesake broom handleshaped grip clearly identies the C96 as unique, but fortunately not too much of an aesthetic pioneer.
The C96 upped the ante with the 7.63 x 25mm cartridge. The cartridges potential could be utilized to
the fullest when combined with the long barrel and shoulder stock. Together, these features offered a
sidearm with superior range, accuracy and penetration potential. The C96 Mauser was produced from
1896 to 1937, and it showed serious longevity by remaining in service from the late 1800s through the
early 1960s. During its service life, the C96 was highly favored by British ofcers and used as a military
sidearm in numerous conicts around the globe and in over a dozen countries. IMS
Collector s
HEAVEN
MAJOR SURPLUS & SURVIVAL IS ONE OF THE LEADING PROVIDERS OF MILITARY COLLECTIBLES
By Paul Hantke
alk about a kid in a

candy store.
The place was
huge, and it was
stacked to the
roof with products,
both true military
surplus and lots of other stuff that
had been sourced from vendors

around the world. I wandered around
in fascination, enjoying the smells of
canvas and Cosmoline, until my boss
dragged me back to the car.
As part of the American Survival
Guide staff, we made many more
visits in the ensuing years. Much like
Omars magic tent, the rooms of neat

stuff just never seemed to end inside
the walls of Major Surplus.
I hadnt set foot back in the
Southern California-based store
until I began to write this story,
and my latest visit left me just as
overwhelmed as the rst time I went.
Photo By Cpl. Trevon S. Peracca
042
the size of
montana
lights and batteries, goggles, shooting glasses, gloves,
knee pads, camo suit yarn or full camo Ghillie suits,
coalition desert scarves, sniper veils, face masks,
Balaclavas, caps, tactical boots, uniform ID patches and
more.
Another separate division of Major Surplus and
Survival is their Mil-Spec Adventure Gear. Here you will
nd reproductions of numerous rearms, grenades and
even an RPG grenade launcher. IMS
Still located at its original address, Major has now

acquired the adjacent warehouse and yard and lled
them up too. The company occupies more than an
acre of space, employs 55 people and offers more than
18,000 line items (SKUs) for sale. Their military surplus
line is just as impressive.
The line includes ammo cans, backpacks, blankets,
chest rigs, clothing, collectibles, knives, compasses,
cots and more. If those options werent enough, Major
also has a subsidiary called Voodoo
Tactical that specically addresses
that growing market. Those products
include the Voodoo Discrete line of
rearms carriers that let you hide
in plain sight. The line includes
a standard backpack, briefcase,
guitar case or carry bag. They
dont scream gun, and they are
engineered to properly secure your
rearm, magazines, spare ammo
and other gear.
It doesnt stop there.
Shooters accessories include
043
044
30
strong
Mike Izzo, the general manager, escorted me on a lengthy tour of the facilities. As you can imagine, it took
some time to see it all, and I was impressed by the level of activity in the place. In addition to taking the tour, I got
to spend a little time with Mike and pick his brain a bit about the operation.
IMS: How long has Major been in business?
Mike Izzo: There was an original company for 30 years before it became Major Surplus & Survival, but we
reorganized to this incarnation in 1991.
IMS: How big is this facility?
Izzo: We cover well over an acre. Most of it is under roof and some of it is in all of the conex boxes you
saw stacked out back. And then of course theres parking.
IMS: Where in the heck do you nd all of this stuff?
Izzo: All of the military surplus and a lot of the manufacturers overruns come to us through relationships
we have had for years. Since that supply is hit and miss, especially in terms of product selection, we have
taken to sourcing lots of items to our specications from vendors around the world. This allows us to
offer a 100% lifetime guarantee on those items because we are sure of what were selling. If it meets our
specications, we are condent that the product will, indeed, last a lifetime.
IMS: What are your normal best sellers in different categories?
Izzo: For the tactical side it would be gun cases, bags and vests. Camping and outdoors would be tents,
blankets and jackets. In general, we sell a lot of our packaged foods and survival kits.
Visit The
store
If youre into military collectibles, you need
to get into Major Surplus. Visit them online.
Or, better yet, walk through their front door
and get overwhelmed like I did.
Major Surplus
435 W. Alondra Blvd., Gardena, CA 90248
800/441-8855
MajorSurplus.com
1 The Command Post
Military
Military
3 Colemans
5 Israel
Surplus
Products
2 Army Navy Sales
Tigers Army/
4 Flying
Navy Surplus Store
11650 S. Sam Houston

Pkwy. West at Belfort
Houston, Texas 77031
713-484-5444
ArmySurplusWorld.com
3100 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
888-588-8805
ArmyNavySales.com
360 Klinger Rd.

Millersburg, PA 17061
Colemans.com
888-293-1421
IsraelMilitary.com
About the author:

Paul Hantke is the
former editor of
American Survival
Guide, and he has
written about rearms
for years.
045
14812 S. Cicero Ave.

Oak Forest, IL 60452
708-535-9921
FlyingTigersSurplus.com
2
4
other collectible
stores
046
FIRST L
WHY I FELL FOR THE M1 GARAND

By Stan Skinner
et me tell you about my love affair.

General George Patton called it The greatest battle implement ever devised. As an ROTC
cadet, I learned its nomenclature gas-operated, clip-fed, semi-automatic, shoulder weapon
along with the serial number of the one assigned to me.
I learned to love the M1 Garand, and this is my story.
WHERE IT BEGAN
As commander of my universitys Pershing Ries Exhibition Drill Team, I learned to spin

and toss the M1 Garand with a fair degree of precision. I also learned to eld strip and reassemble it against
T LOVE
the clock, competing against teams from other
universities. As I remember, my best combined time
was somewhere around 24 or 25 seconds.
The rst time I qualied as a U.S. Army Expert
Rieman, the M1 Garand was in my hands. I was an
advanced ROTC cadet, and I was attending summer
camp in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It was a memorable day.
During ROTC summer camp, the cadets rotated
through leadership positions, and that was my day in
047
the barrel. I was cadet company commander the day

we shot for record to qualify as either Marksman,
Sharpshooter or Expert with the M1 Garand.
To place things in context, the U.S. Army had
recently abandoned the Known Distance (KD) range
for marksmanship qualication. In its place was a new
qualication course called Trainre.
Two different ranges were used for Trainre. First,
you red on a practice range where you had a ring
lane marked off by two rows of posts. The posts

anked six silhouette targets at marked ranges from
50 to (as I remember) 400 meters, which would pop
up one at a time. If you hit the target, it would fall
backward, and a scorer sitting behind you would
mark down hits and misses.
The Record Range, where soldiers qualied,
was a bit more challenging. The range resembled a
battleeld complete with tangles of concertina wire,
shell holes and dead trees here and there on the

shattered landscape. The pop-up silhouettes were
not at specic ranges, and they were sometimes
partly concealed in a shell hole or some other
terrain feature. From a loudspeaker on the range
ofcers tower would come the command,
Shooters, watch your lanes.
Then a silhouette would pop up for a specied
number of seconds. Each shooter would have
048
Back in the day it took the author

25 seconds to eld strip and
reassemble his Garand.
to spot the movement, aim and re before the

silhouette popped back down.
On my lane, there was a broken tree stump about
300 meters downrange. It looked to be about two
feet wide. I glimpsed a silhouette popping up behind
it with only about three inches exposed on the left
not much of a target.
Fortunately, the ammo we had been issued had
black-painted tips. Since I was a gun nut, I knew
that the black tips identied my rounds as armor-
piercing, so I didnt even bother trying to shoot at

the exposed edge. Instead I red through the stump
about where I reckoned the silhouettes center of
mass ought to be. Bingo!
When I had nished, my scorer remarked that
I had been the only shooter to hit that target all
day. That distinction added a few more points to
my score for the day, which put me in a tie for the
honor of high-scoring cadet in the training battalion.
Knowledge is power.
049
Ill bet there are a few million aging

veterans like me, who feel pretty much
the same way about the old girl a great
many of whom have a greater claim on
affection for her than I do.
The author rst met the M1

Garand as an ROTC cadet.
ACTIVE DUTY
050
By the time I went on active duty, the Garand had

nally been retired in favor of the M-14, which later
bowed to the M-16. I qualied Expert with both of
those ries, but my rst and abiding love was still the
Garand. When I nally did a tour in Vietnam, I did not
carry any of those three ries in that combat zone.
I was a commissioned ofcer and helicopter aviator
during my tour. We called ourselves aviators, not
pilots but thats another story. My primary weapon
was a .45 caliber M1911A1. Incidentally, this was
against the advice of all of the experienced aviators
around me who told me that I needed the .38 doubleaction revolver that was standard issue to air crew.
I was able to show them that their objections were
poppycock, and I found an MP unit that would issue
me a .45 but that is yet another story.
Getting back to the M1 Garand I never carried
her in combat, but she was still my rst love. Back
in the day, I had handled each of her small internal
parts. I knew them each by touch. I could make her
come apart and put her back together blindfolded. I
could make her speak at my command.
She t me perfectly, unlike the others I dallied with
in the Army. I had borrowed moments with her, but
I never possessed her as mine alone. That niggling
thought remained in the back of my mind for decades,
but it never came to pass that I would own her.
One day at a gun show, I had a table with all of my
trading wares laid out for inspection. About midday,
I saw her, hanging gracefully on the shoulder of
another man. Somehow, I knew she was the one.
When he paused at my table, I casually inquired
whether she was for sale. He nodded, and passed
her over to me. She was a beauty.

A glance at her receivers rear end told me she was
an International Harvester a rare and desirable
type. Without going in the details, let it sufce to say
that some of the items on my table went away with
him, and this beauty was mine at last.
Later, at home, I gently began to strip her, and
the components parted reluctantly, sticking together
instead of separating smoothly. I realized that they
did not have the oiled familiarity of a well-used
mechanism. She had hardly ever been used and
might even be a virgin.
I knew then that I would never bring myself to sully
this beauty with the powder residue and grime of a
ring range. I would keep her on a pedestal and nd
another to take my pleasure with as she again spoke
at my command.
Oops, Im beginning to sound a bit creepy here.
But Ill bet there are a few million aging veterans like
me, who feel pretty much the same way about the old
girl a great many of whom have a greater claim on
affection for her than I do.
I did nd another M1 Garand to love. This one is
a Springeld, which is much more commonly found,
but it is nonetheless a beautiful model. She had been
cared for lovingly and used sparingly, so I would have
no qualms about taking her to the range and then
touching off a few.
Her previous owner was desperately in need of
cash, and it was with great reluctance that he parted
with her. I might have even seen a little moisture in
his eyes as he handed her to me. Nevertheless, I
would give her a good home next to her sister.
While on active duty, the author

carried the M-14, but his rst love
was the M1 Garand.
Now, I nd I have another problem.

You see, on the aft end of the gas cylinder on an M1 Garand is a Cshaped stacking swivel. It is designed to link with the stacking swivels of two
other Garands, which allows soldiers, in groups of three, to set their ries
aside without laying them down in the dirt or mud. So stacked, the three
ries form a tripod, with only the heel of the butt(s) touching the ground.
My problem is that you need three M1 Garands to stack arms, and I only
have two. Now, what should I do about that, hmmm? IMS
About the author: Stan Skinner

is a veteran rearms writer and the
author of Modern Sporting Ries.
one more problem
051
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052
WEAPONS O
TWO CLASSIC GUNS, REIMAGINED FOR A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF COLLECTORS
By Brad Fitzpatrick Photos By: Brad Fitzpatrick
ong before the AR-15 and Beretta M9

became standard arms, the soldiers of
World War II fought with the legendary
M1 Garand and the trusted 1911. Now,
Citadel offers shooters an exciting way
to relive history with its new rie and
handgun offerings.
There will never be another battle like WWII. It was
immense in size and scope, with battles being fought
around the globe between Allied and Axis forces that had
weaponry unimaginable only a century before. Planes
lled the skies in Europe and the South Pacic dropping
bombs that could, in the blink of an eye, produce
destruction previously unimaginable. The M4 Sherman
Tank was equipped with a 75mm weapon capable of
destroying buildings and bridges. It was a new world, a
new war and a new reality.
But for the basic American infantryman, these were not
the true weapons of the Second World War. Those men
fought with what they could carry, and they carried M1

Garand ries and 1911 semiautomatic handguns. As the
soldiers marched on foot, inch by miserable inch, these
were the guns that cleared the beach at Normandy;
the weapons that saw the Allied troops through the
battleelds of Western Europe and southern Asia on their
conquest to restore order to a shattered world. Todays
weapons of war are far different from those employed
during World War II, but the guns carried by General
Pattons men are of no less interest for collectors and
shooters today than they were back then. For those of
us with a special affection for the guns of that period, the
M1 and the 1911 are still exciting and fun to shoot.
Citadel is now offering two new guns that pay homage
to those classics, and theyre available at a price that
doesnt demand that you have a hefty savings account
or take out a second mortgage on your home. Theyre
also a great deal of fun to shoot and remain practical for
many modern-day applications.
The Guns of
Citadel
Citadels guns are imported by Legacy Sports
International in Reno, Nevada (www.legacysports.
com). The newest additions are the M-1 Carbine,
which is available in 9mm or .22, and the latest
Cerakote version of the companys trusted 1911, also
in 9mm as well as .45 ACP. The rie is compact and
light, with an overall weight of 5.8 pounds and an
overall length of 35 inches, making it easy to carry
and fun to shoot. The 1911 is, simply put, a 1911:
one of the nest pistol designs of all time and a
marvel of rearms engineering that is probably more
popular with civilian shooters today than it was at

any time in history. The new Citadel 1911 9mm also
receives a sleek two-tone Cerakote ceramic nish
that is impervious to the elements and doesnt need
anywhere near the level of care required by a blued
gun. Theyre an effortlessly cool pair, and deserve a
spot high on your list of fun guns the weapons
that always seem to make it into your vehicle when
youre headed to the range. MSRP on the M-1 9mm
ranges from $539 for the synthetic stock to $699 for
the wood stock, while the 1911 retails for $741.
S OF WAR
053
054
The Carbines short overall length makes it a handy rie,

perfect for backyard target shooting. Its also fun to shoot.
With both of these guns and a box of 9mm ammunition, the
author had a great time popping targets out to 50 yards.
M-1
Carbine
The M-1 is a light, quick-pointing carbine that is
made by Chiappa of Italy and features a blowback
action. It comes supplied with two 10-round Beretta
92FS-style magazines. Additional 10-round magazines
are available for $26, and a 17-round version is also
available from Legacy Sports and costs $29. You can
opt for the less-expensive, durable synthetic-stocked
version or get the wood stock for about $150 more. For
my taste, the wood stock is the best way to go because
it has the look and the feel of the original.
The wood isnt fancy or glamorous by any means,
but I looked through several images of ries from that
era and the stock on the Citadel looks very similar in
grain and cut. In my opinion, resemblance to the original
legend is more important than fancy walnut. The Citadel
M-1 has a steel butt plate (again, like the original) and a
sling cutout near the rear portion of the stock. The sights
are also similar in design to the original, with a barrelband front blade sight with shields and an adjustable
aperture sight mounted near the rear of the receiver.
Adjustments on the gun are quick and easy, and a
scale allows you to accurately adjust for windage. The
safety is a rotating design on the right front portion of
the trigger guard, and theres a large, easy-to-access
magazine release butting located in front of the safety in

the magazine well. The 10-round magazine is different
from the original, but it is easy to load and manipulate.
The M-1s action is a very simple blowback-design
that does a good job handling most loads. The action
handle is large and curved, properly positioned to match
the original, and its a far less complex design than what
youll see on more modern ries certainly nothing like
the gas systems found in todays ARs. The handle slides
the entire rear portion of the action back to chamber
cartridges, and the Citadel is well-regulated to handle
most standard 9mm loads though it did hang twice
with very light loads. The rie was particularly fond of
the newer defensive 9mm loads, namely the Hornady
Critical Defense and the Federal HST. With those loads
the gun worked like a charm every time.
If you like to shoot (and Im guessing you do), the M-1
is a wonderful little gun, with so little recoil and muzzle
rise that even a young or inexperienced shooter can
enjoy plinking for hours with this rie. Prior to testing the
M-1, I was shooting a bulky and heavy bolt gun from
the bench at 100 yards, measuring groups, trigger pull,
velocities and all of the other minutiae that are part of
the process of testing long-range ries. The M-1 was
Legacy Sports in Reno, Nevada is the importer for

both the M-1 Carbine and the M-1 1911. While these
guns offer a historic look and feel, theyre also
functional and fun to shoot.
differenta total joy. I tried it out on spinning targets, bulls-eye targets and soda cans propped up downrange. The
sights are rudimentary but effective, and Ive always liked the aperture design for rapid target acquisition and quick
follow-ups. Since the M-1 is a carbine that shoots a pistol-caliber cartridge over iron sights, I tested it at 50 yards
from a seated position, and it shot two-inch groups. The real fun of this gun, however, happens when youre on your
feet and engaging multiple targets or knocking pop cans into the
air while lying prone.
Whats it good for, you ask? Well, it will provide hours of fun
on the range. If you are dedicated to the notion that every gun in
your safe needs a calling, it would work well for shooting small
vermin at close range. I think it would also make a very good
home defense gun; the longer sight radius, low recoil and the
M-1s love of defensive rounds make it a ne defensive rie if
thats your desire it certainly worked as a defensive weapon in
the Second World War, and it will do just ne in that regard today.
At 5.6 pounds, the trigger
is a bit heavy for a target
rie. However, it works very
well for backyard shooting
and plinking. This is a gun
thats easy to love, and I
doubt youll manage to put a
few magazines through one
without thinking about how
much fun it would be to own it.
055
M-1
1911 Cerakote
056
The Colt-designed 1911 semiautomatic,

recoil-operated pistol is one of the greatest
handgun designs of all time. It served as
the primary military sidearm from 1911 to
1985, providing soldiers with the backup
repower they needed in a compact, robust
design. I wont heap any more praise
on the 1911 since it speaks for itself
but the Citadel Cerakote version is a
handsome, reliable and functional iteration
of the original. It looks like a standard 1911
in most regards, with the most striking
variation from the normal design being the
addition of the tough, two-tone love-draband-black Cerakote nish. Cerakoting has
become very popular, and for good reason.
The ceramic nish is extremely tough and
rugged the perfect complement to the
1911s personality.
Citadels Cerakoted 1911 is available in
.45 ACP or 9mm. For this test I used the
smaller gun, to match with the M-1 Carbine.
I headed to the range with a big box of 9mm
loads to see what the Citadel was capable
of doing. It features an extended beavertail
grip safety, a skeletonized hammer and
trigger, sturdy, black, low-prole sights that
are dovetailed into the receiver and welltextured wooden Hogue grips. In addition,
the gun also comes with an additional set of
grips that have a less-aggressive texture
a nice touch on an already well-priced 1911.
The Citadel 1911 comes with two eightround magazines and a durable carrying
case. In 9mm, the slim, ve-inch 1911 is a
pussycat, easy to shoot and ready for quick
double-taps. I was surprised by how much
I enjoyed the trigger on the factory gun.
Hardcore 1911 shooters will probably want
to switch it out for something lighter, but it
broke clean at just over ve pounds and
made delivering accurate shots easy.
The version I tested functioned well
with every defensive load, but it did hang
up a couple of times with very light target
loads. However, when I used Hornadys
Critical Defense and Federals HST ammo,
it performed just like the Carbine, meaning
that it red every time I pulled the trigger. I
shot it from the bench at 25 yards and was
impressed by the accuracy: the Hornady
loads went 1.73 inches on average, and the

Federal stuff grouped just under two inches.
The gun I tested was the black/olive drab
version, but its also available with pewter
and black and brushed stainless and black
nishes. Some models also have the option
of soft-touch Hogue OD green grips. Barrel
lengths in both .45 and 9mm are either 3.5
inches or the standard ve inches, so no
matter what youre seeking, you can nd a
gun that suits you. The smaller versions are
obviously slanted for concealed carry, but I
had no trouble toting the full-length version
around. I also didnt have to worry about
sweat and moisture ruining the nish. Like
the M-1, this 1911 is a great target gun. If
youre looking for an inexpensive defensive
1911 that will stand up to daily carry, you
need to try out this offering from Citadel.
WWII was undisputedly one of the most
important wars in our countrys history,
and holding these two guns gave me a
new respect for the men who fought in that
engagement. It also felt good to know that
70 years later, the heritage of that conict
still lives on in these two rearms. If youre
a history buff with a love for shooting, then
these two guns are denitely for you.
057
The 1911 was the American militarys sidearm of

choice from 1911 to 1985, and the design remains
popular today. Citadels version is available with or
without a Cerakote nish, and it is chambered in
9mm or .45. Its also available in barrel lengths of
3.5 or 5 inches. The 5-inch 9mm is shown here with
two-tone black and olive green Cerakote.
At $741, the M-1 9mm is relatively

inexpensive for a new 1911. It comes
with many additional touches that
only add to its value, including a
skeletonized hammer and trigger,
beavertail grip safety, low-prole
sights and a Cerakote nish.
Accuracy
058
GUN
SMALLEST GROUP
LARGEST GROUP
AVERAGE
M-1 Carbine (50 Yards)
1.24 inches
2.08 inches
1.46 inches
M-1 1911 (25 Yards)
1.18 inches
2.14 inches
1.73 inches
ACTION
Blowback Semiautomatic Rie
STOCK
Wood, Synthetic
SIGHTS
Adjustable aperture rear, blade front
CALIBER
9mm
CAPACITY
10, 17
WEIGHT
5.8 Pounds
MSRP
$531 - $699
How much does barrel

length affect velocity?
Conventional wisdom tells us that longer
barrels produce higher velocity, and this is
why Magnum ries require 24- or even 26-inch
barrels to wring out maximum velocity from hot
cartridges. So how much does the difference
in barrel length change the velocity of standard
9mm ammunition between the M-1 1911 and
the M-1 Carbine?
Tested over a chronograph, the M-1 1911
red Aguila 124-grain FMJ ammunition at an
average velocity of 1,039 FPS. That same
ammunition delivered an average velocity of
1,168 FPS from the longer (18 inch) M-1 barrel.
That additional 130 FPS is lower than the 150
FPS-per-inch that many rie shooters claim as
the rule. But why is this?
The answer lies in the fact that barrel length
is a game of diminishing returns. The 9mm
cartridge contains much less powder than
other, higher velocity rie cartridges, and once
the available powder is burned in the barrel,
additional barrel length doesnt yield the same
velocity increases. Still, you can expect the
longer carbine barrel to improve velocities
compared to 9mm handguns.
Citadel
M-1 Carbine
059
Legacy sports
other offerings
Citadel
M-1 1911 Cerakote
ACTION
Semiautomatic Recoil-Operated Pistol
FINISH
Two-Tone Cerakote
SIGHTS
Low-prole xed rear and blade front
CALIBER
9mm, .45 ACP
CAPACITY
7, 8
WEIGHT
2.3 Pounds
MSRP
$741
Legacy Sports International imports a

number of quality rearms in additional to its
Citadel offerings. Legacy Sports is also the
source for Howa ries, which are made in
Japan. These ries have a very solid reputation
with serious shooters, and they come with a
push-feed, one-piece bolt with dual locking
lugs, a three-position safety and excellent
triggers. Theyre also very reasonably priced,
and available in chamberings from .204 Ruger
to .375 Ruger. The company also offers Escort
semiauto and pump shotguns in a variety
of congurations and styles that are sure to
please the upland hunter, big-game hunter,
competitive shooter and home defender.
The Escort semiauto uses a proven gas
operating system and handles shotgun loads
from 2 to 3 inches, depending upon
chambering. Theyre also available in a number
of camouage patterns for the ultimate in
concealment. Additionally, Legacy Sports offers
Pointer over/under shotguns for a budget price,
and these stackbarrels perform well on the
range and in the eld. For a complete listing
of Legacy Sports many offerings, visit their
website at www.legacysports.com or call them
at 1 (800) 5-LEGACY.
060
Combat
Helmets
T
THE EVOLUTION OF HEADWEAR IN THE WORLDS MILITARY
By Jeff Thompson
hings change, and the world of

military gear is no exception.
World War I began in the summer
of 1914. Much of the gear and
accouterment material at the
beginning of that war was decorative.
However, four short years later,
almost everything had changed. And virtually every item
of gear, while very different from todays streamlined
equipment, could be at least recognized today.
The Second World War likewise changed everything,
though not quite as profoundly. In both of those massive

conicts, tens of millions of personnel were under arms.
This particular epistle is about gear in general,
emphasizing helmets. These matters alone could
be the subject of several major books, and frankly,
from musette bags to packs, all this writer could offer
would be summaries from ve decades of observing
and collecting some would say more accurately
accumulating paraphernalia from all over the
world. Helmets are my specialty, and they will be the
touchstones of this brief synopsis.
061
U.S. soldiers are wearing

the PASGT helmet.
THE BEGINNING
Before we move into helmets, well touch on a few

related topics that have also undergone changes.
Neither cotton webbing nor leather has completely
disappeared from cosmopolitan eld gear arrays,
but theyre surely on the wane, replaced mostly
by synthetics. Plus, a great deal of equipment and
casing applications, which were once pure cotton,
are now using blends with synthetic bers that seem
to offer lower maintenance.
Sixty years ago zippers were the answer to almost
all military uniforms and gear access. Now they
have begun to fade, replaced in many applications
by Velcro and other slip closures. Velcro is still very
popular today, but current military personnel advise
me that buttons are slowly slipping into somewhat
more common usage. Velcro tends to clog and is not
always easily cleaned out especially in darkness.
Velcro also isnt known for being especially quiet (a
problem largely avoided by the use of buttons), but
new polymer zippers do come quite close to silence.
These are all minor observations in the grand

scheme of things, and they seem to apply less in
countries that are less impacted by western trends.
The line and reection-controlling forms of
camouage 60 or 70 years ago often the mark
of specialist or elite personnel have become
far more common in virtually all countries. At the
beginning of World War I, typical bayonets elded
featured blades from around nine inches in length
to as long as 20 inches. While some countries, like
Switzerland and Germany, attempted to generate
multiple-purpose rie-mounted cutlery, virtually all of
the larger powers deemed a bayonet to be suitable
for nothing more than poking holes in people. The
bayonets werent run very hard or differentially heattreated, since they were regarded as spear points or
pike substitutes, and the metal was never intended
to hold an edge or cut much of anything. Many of
them, right up to some AKs, were folding, tube-style
toad stabbers with no pretension to ever be used
as anything else.
062
This 1938 photo, taken during

an inspection, showcases the
German M1933 Stahlhelm.
The M4 Bayonet
The British spike bayonet for

the #4 rie was designed late in
World War II.
It was spun off from a combat
knife designed for non-rieman
personnel, but for the rst time
in a large army, it led to the trend
which dominates today: the
multi-purpose knife bayonet. It
even included a self-sharpening
sheath, and the hardness
standards for the shorter 6.5inch blade (11 inches overall)
called out a level capable of
actual cutting. These shorter
blades featured far higher tensile
strength, too.
All U.S. bayonets for infantry
ries from about that time
forward, save the very last of
the M1s, shared the same blade
design with the M4 even
those that served and still serve
full-length M16s and variants.
Many other nations followed
suit. Englands Bowie-style #9
had a formidable knife blade, but
no built-on grip. These models
entered serial production in
1947, although photos exist of
something very similar attached
to ries late in World War II. I
am advised by some that those
were either homemade or
prototypical. It is also possible
that the photos were not actually
taken in wartime. The seemingly
novel idea of an even more
multi-purpose bayonet is very
old, but may have reached its
zenith in Eastern Europe with
bayonets cut with an eyelet to
form wire cutters and possibly
even other tools.
There is always some danger
of breakage with harder that
is, more brittle metals, but the
tradeoff is straightforward. Every
additional function added means
one less heavy and less easily
lost piece of ancillary equipment
to service and safely store. A
retired U.S. ofcer remarked to
me not long ago, An ordinary
infantryman might lose a gas
mask or wrench, but even in the
rear, hes very unlikely to forget
his mess kit.
063
This U.S. soldier is shown

with a carbine bayonet.
064
It always seems startling to historians that

despite the development of accurate ried
artillery, better high explosives, the machine
gun and the proliferation of mortars, there was
no truly protective headgear at the beginning of
WWI. Indeed, the rst type to see issue was the
segmented, billed French Adrian pattern, model
of 1915. This concern would be soon addressed.
These French models were mild steel and lighter
than later German and British patterns, weighing
in at about 27 ounces. The German Pickelhaube
spiked helmet and the French cuirassier headgear
were primarily decorative, although they provided
some protection against falling shrapnel.
Italy, Russia and many others used the French
helmet, sometimes producing close copies.
Italy later developed a better, more compact
headgear, the Model of 1933, and Russia (called
the Soviet Union after the Revolution) developed
the advanced Model of 1936 that offered better
ear protection. Trimmed and streamlined for mass
production, the 1936 became the M40, a helmet
very similar in prole to the U.S. M-1 but with an
integral liner. Produced in slight permutations by
many Warsaw Pact nations during the Cold War,
these still show up all over the world.
The Japanese Army used a modied spin-off
of the Adrian until their revised design of 1932
combined features of the British Brodie and
the German helmet came along. The Japanese
helmet is often incorrectly described as derivative
of Samurai gear, which is patently false. Only
the tied chin strap ows from the older tradition.
Their 1932 Tetsu-Bo Type 90 was in many ways a
Brodie, extended downward, with the rim almost
entirely excised. Made of magnesium steel and
often run a little too hard, it was a better-than
average design for the interwar period.
By 1915, Germany was suffering a great many
head and neck injuries, and after prototyping, the
rst Model of 1916 coal scuttle steel helmets
began to see issue at Verdun. These varied in
weight depending on size, and are of martensitic
silicone/nickel hardened steel. The liners comprise
three leather-padded panels and tend to be loose.
The size 70 that I owned years ago weighed
well over two pounds. This type went through
several permutations, including the Models
of 1917 and 1918, wherein the straps and
attachment points changed. The German helmets
were air-vented to control the concussion effect
and lift via holes channeled through the horns
on each side. Those ttings were for armor plates
and a few other accessories, which seem to have
never been completely developed.
Canadian Forces photo archives, 1945
COMBAT HEADGEAR
A Canadian soldier aims his Eneld

Number 4. The helmet pictured is
the classic Brodie.
U.S. Army photograph, 1944
Often described as air portable light infantry,

there was nothing light about the U.S.
paratroopers gear load. This publicity shot
details the Normandy-era packet without the
Brit-designed leg bag.
The German Stahlhelm was the effective

great-grandparent of todays Kevlar and ber
helmets, offering neck and ear protection that
turned out to be a great improvement on its
predecessors and contemporaries. The AustroHungarian Army adopted a very similar helmet,
the Model of 1917, using cloth web strapping
and usually liners.
The British helmet, the Mark I, was most
commonly called the Brodie Model of 1916,
after designer John Leopold Brodie. It was
the same design as the U.S. Model of 1917,
though it had different linings. All but the very
rst batches were constructed of hardened
magnesium steel. Protection from overhead on
the Brodie sometimes called the shrapnel
helmet was excellent, but neck and ear
coverage was even scarcer than on the Adrian,
so a rubber cushion was added in 1917. The
helmet was characterized as too sharp on
the edges and too easily made reective. Its
typical weight was about 1.3 pounds (20.8
ounces). Many even contained asbestos re
retardant in the linings. Liners were eventually
improved over time, well into World War II.
The very rst steel helmets issued to U.S.
military personnel were 400,000 unmodied
British production units. This helmet type, with
modied liner and ttings, served the United
Kingdom throughout World War II. It was also
supplemented by the Mark III turtle helmet,
which entered combat service during the
Invasion of France in 1944.
Camouage painting was common on steel
helmets during World War I, and some vintage
photos suggest that burlap was periodically
used to control glare and break up the helmet
lines. Fishnet was also sometimes employed.
The cloth camouage cover came into common
use during World War II.
Between the wars, Germany introduced
three startling innovations. First, the very rare
ber Model 33, often thought to be a South
American fake and sometimes discarded by
collectors in the 1960s. Second, the trimmed
Model of 1938 Paratrooper helmet, with its
four-point strap system and fully padded,
ventilated suspension liner. Third, the trimmed
down coal scuttle Model of 1935, the superior
neck-and-ear-protected device upon which
almost all current polymer-based combat
headgear is at least loosely based.
Modied with pressed-in vents as the Model
of 1940, and later with an unrolled sharp edge
Continued
Continued
Next Next
Page.Page.
This German soldier, shown

at the Battle of Stalingrad, is
wearing a PPSH helmet.
065
Chengtu, 1944--public domain Imperial War museum
066
as the Model of 1942, these helmets served Germany

and many of her allies throughout World War II.
The nearly forgotten Model of 1933 was externally
almost identical to the M1917 version with the strap
mounting on the liner. However, there has always
been a suspicion that troops might have had a morale
problem wearing non-metallic headgear in combat.
These models seem to have mainly been distributed
to ofcers of rank for ceremonial purposes, and they
showed up at parades well into the war.
Finland and Hungary used an identical prole helmet
to the German M35/40, and they sometimes three-pin
linered actual German specimens. Most of them used
a completely different liner setup and bore a hanger
setup on the rear apron. These are usually called Model
1940s as well.
The U.S. M1 steel helmet was adopted in 1941, a
ber helmet with a retaining strap using a deep pot
and a universal completely independent helmet liner.
These never used air vents, and they were normally
worn in combat with the straps tucked back or loose
to avoid concussion lift. The helmet itself could not be
worn without the liner. Over 22 million were made in
the United States, and several nations produced close
copies. The original inventor of the entirely-separate
helmet and liner, and the detailed reasoning behind
it, are lost to history, but it made the bowl far more
versatile for all manner of personal matters.
The M1 was never issued in sizes, since the

adjustable webbing, leather band and clips in the liner
were moved around to acquire reasonable t. It was
never as secure on the head as European headgear,
but the one-size-ts-all idea simplied logistics.
The prole of the M1 soon changed, as did the
ttings. The retaining strap was changed from leather
to fabric, and before leaving production in the 1960s
it was eliminated altogether. The tension of the two
units was relied upon to hold the pieces together.
Most combinations of helmet and liner weigh 45 to 46
ounces. As a side note, the cloth cloud pattern cover
developed for the Marine Corps was not exclusive,
although it is exceptionally rare to encounter photos of
Army personnel using them.
An interesting piece of trivia about the nomenclature
itself is that ofcial documents exist titling the helmet
with and without the hyphen, as both M1 and M-1,
often in the same paperwork.
While steel helmets simply because many
millions were produced will continue in some sort
of military use for probably decades to come, modern
armies no longer consider them rst-line.
The U.S. Personnel Armor System for Ground
Troops entered U.S. service in the mid-1980s, shaped
so much like the German WWII headgear that they
were commonly called the Fritz or, in less polite
parlance, the Kraut.
The British Brodie helmet at hat was the

inspiration for the U.S. Model of 1917. This one is
authentic, shown with the standard net cover, with
an old S.M.L.E. .303 rie in the background, much
as UK troops mightve deployed in early WW2.
067
BODY ARMOR
Body armor worn extensively along with helmet

shields in WWI, but found wanting due to weight
was also developed within the same system, this
time seeing much more use. Much of the rest of
the developed world has followed suit in headgear
designs and body armor.
In the past decade, the PASGT helmet was
replaced by the Lightweight Helmet (2009) in
the USMC and also by the Modular Integrated
Communications Helmet. This in turn led to the
Advanced Combat Helmet, which the U.S. Army
currently uses. The older, original PASGT bucket still
sees use, but mainly upon foreign heads.
There is some irony and luck in this tale. Kevlar was
itself a developmental accident. A century ago, it must
have seemed to high-ranking ofcers that all of that
head protection was somehow unmanly. Collectors,
along with many soldiers and Marines, still wonder at
the unusual and unknown process that led to the M1
steel pot being two independent entities.
068
About the author: Jim Thompson

is a columnist for Firepower magazine.
IRONY OF HELMETS
The greatest irony is almost theatrical. A few

decades ago, the good guys and the bad guys could
be largely sorted out and identied just by the helmets
they wore. The universal materials and general overall
shape of the composition/Kevlar helmet changed that
easy identication. As I said, things change. IMS
Marine infantry, pictured coming back from a
mission such as laying wire. Note the M1907
leather slings. The absence of any pack or heavy
gear on the personnel suggests that this was
most likely a brief trip, but the fatigue on their
faces suggests that it was an intense one.
This 1943 photo shows

code talkers.
USMC photo, 1944
069
why change occurs

Changes in uniforms and gear
since World War II largely ow from
the following stimuli:
1. New technologies, including
details as subtle as Velcro and as
profound as ceramics and polymers
(plastics) such as Kevlar and
synthetic fabrics.
2. An overall acknowledgement
in most of the world, especially the
western states, that smaller armies
and force multipliers are the future,
and therefore expenditures per
soldier need not be as economical
as they often have been in the past.
3. While it was never totally
ignored, it has become gospel
almost everywhere that the physical
exibility of military personnel and
their creature comfort does matter,
and that it yields superior results in
given training and discipline.
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The
Walther P38
AN INFLUENTIAL WAR DOG THAT IS AS MUCH A SHOOTER TODAY AS IT WAS OVER A HALF-CENTURY AGO
070
By Bob Campbell
ne of the most important handguns of World War II

also became one of the most inuential pistols of the
20th century. The Walther P38 (caliber 9mm) was the
result of the German militarys desire to cut costs. The
aging Luger P08 was expensive to manufacture and
demanded many complex hand operations. As such,
its cost was prohibitive for a rapidly expanding military.
Walther listened to the army and gave it what it wanted. While a steelframe pistol with such precision workmanship would be expensive in
todays market, the P38 was hailed as a great cost-saver at the time and
had ne performance. Walther had taken to the drawing board and put
together a pistol based on sound operating principles.
The double-action lockwork was similar to that of the Walther PP
series. The pistol used an external drawbar to operate the trigger. The
trigger both cocked and dropped the hammer, so the term double
action was applied. The pistol featured a slide-mounted combination
safety and a decocking lever. When operated, the lever safely lowered
the hammer from full cock and also placed the pistol on Safe.
It was as natural for Walther to draw upon the Mauser C96 for design
ideas as it would be for an American to draw upon the 1911. The P38
ended up using the Mausers oscillating wedge for lockup. The army
is also reported to have requested a free-oating barrel, and Walther
ultimately gave it this design feature.
The P38 is one of the

most recognized pistols of
World War II. This one was
produced in 1943.
of our own .45 ACP cartridge,

but the 9mm shoots at over a
distance and penetrates web gear
in a superior fashion. Compared
with any pistol contemporary, the
P38s takedown lever made eld
maintenance and cleaning simple.
I have red many P38 pistols
and found them to be generally
reliable unless they have been
abused. A lack of lubrication or worn
springs will cause any handgun to
malfunction, no matter how well
the pistol is made. With a refreshed
spring kit from Wolff Gunsprings,
the Walther is usually good to go.
The oscillating wedge, however,
deserves your attention. If the
edges are worn, it should be
replaced. The barrel seldom cracks,
but if it does, it is usually a result of

battering due to weakened springs.
I have seen a few Walther pistols
with cracked slides. There are not
many handguns that have been
well-worn that havent exhibited a
cracked slide, and even the Walther
isnt immune to such damage.
I have seen Colt, SIG and Beretta
pistols with cracked slides, Glocks
blown up and Smith & Wesson
59s battered. The slide illustrated
was seen on a pistol that, as far
as I know, is still in service with a
hobby shooter. It was welded, and
then the old warrior went back to
shooting. This isnt necessarily a
recommended course of action,
but it gives an example of the
toughness of the design.
Walther was off to a slow start

with production of the P38, and it
never really kept up with wartime
demand. Still, it produced as many
as 10,000 pistols a month during the
height of production. The Walther
P38 was easily the most modern
service pistol in use during World
War II. Reliable even in terrible
conditions, the P38 served from
France to Russia, from North Africa
to Italy and in every hotspot of the
European war.
The double-action lockwork was
appreciated by those who felt the
single-action design to be outdated.
The Walther earned a reputation for
accuracy that was superior to most
service pistols of the time. The 9mm
cartridge does not have the smash
071
World War Supply offers

rst-class reproduction
holsters for the P38, a nice
touch for the collection.
The Walther impressed our own military to such an extent that

various trials were undertaken after the war to pit the P38 against
the Colt 1911A1. The Walther is lighter than the 1911A1, at about
35 ounces. It also kicks less and has a double-action trigger.
Nothing came of the original pistol trials, likely because of the
budget restraints and the fact that the Army had around twice as
many 1911 pistols as soldiers in the downsized peacetime Army.
Eventually, the Army got its P38 in the form of the modernized
Beretta 92. The double-action trigger and external drawbar of the
Beretta are pure Walther in design heritage. The open-top slide
and oscillating wedge lockup are also very similar to the Walther,
although Beretta changed the recoil spring to a single unit with
a guide rod instead of the Walthers dual springs. The primary
improvement over the P38 is the Beretta 92s high-capacity
magazine. However, this requires the use of a shorter safety lever
due to the fat magazine in the frame, which causes a hump in the
upper frame where it meets the slide. The Walther safety lever is
much easier to manipulate quickly, although this may ultimately
be an inconsequential point. The Beretta is little more accurate
than the Walther, if at all.
The
Walther P38
072
This shooter is running a magazine of

NATO-spec loads through an original
P38. Control is superb.
073
The Walther P1, top, features Wolff

Gunsprings recoil springs and has a new
locking wedge. It is eldstripped along
with the very similar Beretta 92.
After World War II, the French

took over the Walther plant and built
the pistol for themselves. The plant
was soon closed and production
undertaken again by Germany in
1957. The reorganized German
army needed a service pistol, and
there was nothing better than the
Walther P38 available. The postwar
P38 and the slightly modied P1 use
aluminum frames. These handguns
are reliable, well made of good
material and lighter than the earlier
steel-frame P38. Parts from the
original P38 interchange with the P1
for the most part.
Now to the heart of the matter:
How does the P38 shoot? In my
experience, the only difference in
handling and shooting the modern

lightweight-frame pistols is that they
kick more due to the lighter frame
the laws of physics are immutable.
Still, this isnt that noticeable with
standard loads These observations
also apply to the Walther P1 and
aluminum-frame P38 pistols.
The P38 is among the most feedreliable handguns ever produced.
The pistol features a straight-line
feed. The bullet nose feeds from
the magazine almost straight into
the chamber, so a wide-mouth
hollowpoint feeds just ne. Since
German military ammunition was by
no means weak-kneed, the P38 is
ne for NATO-specication or 9mm
+P loads. This is of course assuming
you have a handgun with fresh recoil

springs and an uncracked locking
wedge. If so, the pistol will effectively
feed, chamber, re and eject with
most commercial ammunition.
Occasionally, a Walther will shortcycle with low-power ammunition. A
weak handload say, a 124-grain
bullet at 900 fps will probably
not function in the P38. The same
may be said for some generic ball
ammunition. The Walther functions
well with full-power ammunition, with
the possible exception of hot loads.
The pistol is a joy to handle and re.
The grip is comfortable and ts
most hands well. The single-action
break is usually right at 4 pounds,
light enough for excellent shooting.
Two of the authors favorite

handguns. The P1 (bottom)
is an aluminum-frame 9,
and the pistol at top is an
aluminum-frame .45 1911
for size comparison.
074
Production codes for the P38

The Zero pistols, 01 13,000 Eagle-stamped P38s.
The original P38 was marked 480/AC, which was soon changed to:
AC 40 for 1940
AC 41 for 1941
AC 42 for 1942
AC 43 for 1943
AC 44 for 1944
AC 45 for 1945
Mauser pistols were marked byf 42, byf 43, byf 44 and byf
45, and the pistols produced for the French (postwar) were marked
svw 45. As well as I could ascertain from my information, these
were produced for the French army.
Spreewerke cyg indicates one of the various slides produced by
FN Belgium and by CZ in Czechoslovakia.
The
Walther P38
This aluminum-frame P38 is at home

in the horsewrightclothing.com eld
holster, a neat rig.
For sport shooting, I ignore the double-action feature and

simply cock the hammer for the rst shot rather than running
through the long trigger press. When handling the P38, you will
note that the safety, slide lock and takedown lever are each well
designed a shining example of human engineering. The heeltype magazine release isnt as rapid in action as a Browningtype push-button. You are not going to lose the magazine.
In regard to accuracy, the pistol is surprising. I have red my
examples a good bit with the Fiocchi 123-grain Combat loading.
This is a truncated cone-nose design that often gives matchgrade accuracy in good handguns. The World War II-vintage
steel-frame P38 will turn in a 2-inch 25-yard group with this
loading. The 1960s-vintage P1 isnt quite as accurate.
The World War II P38 feeds any hollowpoint you care to
stuff into the magazine. As an example, the Fiocchi 115-grain
Extrema loading, using the Hornady XTP bullet, feeds perfectly
and exhibits a 3-inch group at 25 yards. Still, the 124-grain
Extrema is at times more accurate.
In a worn or dirty gun, the slightly heavier bullets are often
more reliable. However, I would avoid the 147-grain loads for
several reasons. These loads tend to transfer more momentum
to the locking wedge. This causes early wear and even
cracking. Velocity may be too low for good function.
Yes, I re my P38 pistols. I have owned a number of rather
nice examples of the breed, and most have been shooters. The
P38 is a great shooter and a good recreational handgun. It is
reliable and more accurate than most realize, and it has quite
a bit of history behind it. The P38 is among the most important
pistols of the previous century.
For eld use to carry while hiking, the P1 is a pistol I trust.
It is reliable and more than accurate enough to take care of
pests and even small game. Fortunately, I do not live in an area
with large bears, so that is not a concern. When the Walther is
loaded with the Fiocchi Extrema loading, it would be up to the
task of handling feral dogs, coyotes or even a member of the
protein-fed ex-con criminal class. I just like having something
on my hip, and I feel an extra degree of condence when that
something is a Walther. IMS
075
Watch those locking wedges!

The Beretta 92 (top) is shown for
reference. The wedge in the P1s
lower barrel has been replaced.
UPGRADES
076
for Your Old Army Mule
THREE WAYS TO TEACH AN OLD GUN NEW TRICKS

By Abe Elias
bought my rst Army surplus rie in my

teenage years, and I still have it today. Back
then, it didnt seem like the supply would
ever dry up, and the guns were dirt-cheap.
Who would have guessed that my rie,
bought for $67.00, would later bring as much
as $450.00? There are two types of surplus
rearm shooters:
Those who prefer
to keep everything
original, and those
who use the surplus
rie as a base on
which to build. If you
are nostalgic and
want to keep your
rie original, read
no further. For those
of you who want
to create a rearm
you had a hand in
building, we have the
three pillars for you
below. Before you begin, try to establish a building ethic.

If you come across a rie that has already been chopped
up, thats ne. If you come across a rie that is in pristine
condition or still all original, let it be. There are plenty
of guns out there to rebuild that are not what would be
considered collectors-class rearms. Now lets look at
the three pillars of a rebuild: stock, trigger and optics.
ABOVE: The top is the Rock Solid

Industries bent bolt; the bottom is a
tear-drop bolt from Blue Grass.
Every House Needs a Foundation
ABOVE: The ATI over-the-receiver scope rail provides a

cutout so you can use a bent bolt and still clear the rail. If
you use a scope with a large ocular bell, you will need to
use high enough scope rings to allow the bolt handle to
clear the bell in retraction.
The stock is the foundation of your rie. It allows you

to hold and control the rie. It helps steady it during recoil
and assists in dealing with the effects of recoil. If your
action is sloppy in the stock, your shooting accuracy
will suffer, so its worthwhile to give your action a new
home. Thanks to aftermarket suppliers, there are plenty
of products available at many different skill levels. Ill
give you some examples of a few that I have personally
worked with or used. For the Mosin, there has been a
bit of an explosion of available products over the past
couple of years. In the last year, I have built a number
of ries using the Mosin as a base. For a hunting rie,
I took the ATI Mosin stock, a simple drop-in, which was
a low-skill-level job. The ATI stock is a synthetic Monte
Carlo-style stock and comes without pillars but you
could easily add them. If you wanted, you could even
berglass-bed the ATI stock. Use a product such as
Duracoat to easily paint to camouage it. Another stock
Ive used is the Archangel Manufacturing AA9130: a
synthetic stock in a tactical benchrest pattern. The
innovative part of the Archangel is that it gets rid of the
internal box magazine and uses a detachable magazine.
You can get either a ve-round magazine or a 10-round.
The stock even comes with an adjustable cheek rest
and length of pull. Ive also used a Bluegrass SF Tactical
stock. These are made of wood and can come with a

number of different options. I decked mine out to the
nines and got the forearm rails, monopole and adjustable
cheek rest. These stocks also come with pillars and are
cut to accept Timney triggers. If you get yours coated at
the factory, you might have to put in a little bit of work
to get your action to t. In my case, I had to remove the
coating from the inside of the pillars.
Mausers are very collectable and great for DIY
builds Ive done a few in the past. Im using a variety
of stocks on a couple of 98 Mausers on which I am
currently working. For one of them, Ive gone a bit more
traditional, using an old Fejan stock I bought at a gun
show. For the other, I decided I wanted to house it in a
Hogue stock. I buy a lot of Hogue stocks for my other
ries. They come with a berglass-reinforced skeleton,
and the rubber is molded over the frame. In the case of
the centerre ries, all of the stocks come with aluminum
pillars, or you can alternatively get an aluminum beddingblock. The overmolded rubber is great in all sorts of
weather. As a project, these stocks are very low-tech.
Just match your model, drop it in and tighten the screws.
In the case of the 96 Mauser Im redoing, Ive chosen a
Boyds Stock. Using a Boyds stock is a bit more involved
than some of the others. My 96 stock came unnished
and requires some sanding and a bit of tting.
Hogues stock for the 98 Mauser is perfect if all you want is

a lighter, more comfortable stock that simply drops in. You
can see the texturing on the forearm and pistol grip.
077
If you are going with a Boyds, its

best to lay in some supplies, all of
which you can get from Boyds or
Brownells. You should have some
basic nishing skills, and you will also
need some tools such as chisels and
some scrapers to do the nal tting.
All in all, I would say that the skill
level for using wood stocks is a bit
higher than some other types, but not
unmanageable. And if you do manage
to stick it out, you can get a beautiful,
traditionally nished look.
Left to right: This Boyds Walnut stock lends

a traditional look to the authors Mauser
96. Next is the ATI Monte Carlo stock for
the Mosin-Nagant. Last is the Blue Grass
Tactical stock with all the bells and whistles.
If You Cant See It, You

Cant Hit It
078
There are a number of products out

there for mounting scopes to your old
military rie. If you want to improve
your accuracy or compensate for failing
eyes, adding optics will do the trick.
First off, if you are not comfortable
drilling or tapping or dont have any
previous experience with these skills
take your project to a gunsmith. If you
feel condent drilling and tapping your
own receiver, you can nd a number of
tools to make the job simpler.
Companies such as Williams Gun
Sights and Forsters Products have
excellent jigs for drilling and tapping.
Williams has a scope-mount drill xture
and Forster Products has its Universal
Sight Mounting Fixture. Both Williams
and Forster provide directions, and you
can even get video help online. A good
example of how to use the Forster jig
appears on American Gunsmithing
Institutes DVD Building the Custom
Mauser Rie with Gene Shuey.
In some cases, the accessories
come with DIY instructions, such as
the ones from Rock Solid Industry.
Rock Solid provides a number of scope
rails for the Mosin, ranging from a
receiver-mounted rail to its new M24C
rail, which allows you a variety of
mountings such as its over-the-receiver
and scout mounts. Additionally, ATI has
receiver-mounting rails for a number
of surplus ries. Some of the ries for
which ATI has rails are the Eneld,
Mauser and Nagant. The skill level for
drilling and tapping a receiver yourself
is a bit high, but it would be well worth
your while to pay a gunsmith to add
optics to your rie.
Changing out the surplus trigger and upgrading to

a Timney is easy. On the Mosin, simply remove the
screw at A and drive the pin out at B. Install
the Timney trigger by replacing the screw and pin.
Youll notice a world of difference.
Above: Here is the Monopole adjustment and the easily

adjustable cheek rest.
Below: Archangels Mosin stock uses a removable
magazine system that replaces the ries original
magazine. You can buy either a ve-round magazine or a
10-rounder. The release is just in front of the nger guard
and easy to use.
Lets face it: Most surplus ries have triggers that are
about as pleasurable to pull as a tooth at the dentist. A
trigger can make a huge difference in both your accuracy
and general enjoyment of a rearm. I dont recommend
doing your own trigger job. They take time and patience.
If done wrong, they can turn your rearm into an accident
waiting to happen. If you want a better trigger, take it to a
gunsmith to be adjusted.
As an even easier option, you can check out available
aftermarket triggers. I know there are quite a number
of choices out there, but the one that I have the most
experience with is Timney. I put a number of Timney
triggers in my rearms not only my surplus items but
my modern ones as well. While there are more triggers
out there than just Timneys, I have not tested any, so
I wouldnt be able to review them accurately. Boyds
carries a Bold Trigger, and Brownells carries a number
of options. I can simply tell you that I have never been
disappointed with my Timneys. Replacing a trigger can
be a low to medium-level skill project. Usually, on surplus
guns it is pretty straightforward. You will need a number
of tools, including punches and a screwdriver set.
Barrels
I would consider barrels to be the fourth pillar in

change. By the time you have changed the barrel, you
have pretty much rebuilt the whole rie. I didnt include
rebarreling because it is very expensive and not easily
done on your own. The tools for rebarreling are pricey,
and they would not pay for themselves if you rebarrel just
one rie. At least if you buy a jig for drilling and tapping a
receiver, youre likely to use it again on a number of ries.
Even if you buy a short-chambered barrel, rebarreling
requires a number of tools and a fairly high skill level. Im
not saying its impossible, but I would recommend putting
in a lot of research time before you take on such a job.
One simple thing you can do to a barrel is recrown it,
since a good crown is essential to maintaining accuracy.
Check out the state of your crown; if it needs to be
redone, you can nd all the supplies to do it at Brownells.
Changing your stock and trigger and adding sights
can also signicantly upgrade your surplus rie. If you
shop around and wait for sales, you wont be spending
too much out of pocket. Afterwards, you will end up
with something that you made with your own hands.
To spread out the costs, you can also do it as a joint
project with a friend, with each of you building a rie.
Along the way, youll gain more rearms knowledge,
and knowledge is always a good thing. Check around if
you need help to get started; there are plenty of easily
available resources. Ive bought a number of American
Gunsmithing Institute DVDs, which have proven to be
very instructional in a number of matters. Take a chance,
dive in and go search for that beat-up surplus rie waiting
to be revitalized and put to work again. IMS
The Sweet Pull of a Trigger
079
080
WHEN JUMPING INTO A HOT ZONE, U.S. AIRBORNE FORCES COULD RELY ON THE M1A1 PARATROOPER CARBINE.
This ofcial Ordnance Department

photo gives a comparison between
the M1 and M1A1 Carbines.
Photos courtesy of NARA
COMPACT
FIREPOWER
uring the early

days of the
U.S. Airborne
Forces in World
War II, various
weapons were
tried out. When
the Parachute Test Platoon was rst
formed, .45-caliber 1911 autos and
1917 revolvers were used. As with
German paratroops, the Air Forces
heavier weapons were intended for
dropping into a case or a canister.
However, the M1 Garand and the
Thompson submachine gun soon
became the principal weapons of
the paratroops. Both were effective,
but they were too long and heavy to
be convenient when jumping. Still,
there was a solution.
Compact Plus Firepower
The introduction of the M1

Carbine, with its 15-round
magazine, offered a more compact
weapon that gave the paratroops
more repower. However, airborne

forces wanted a carbine that
could be even more compact for
jumping, yet remain ready for
quick deployment. To fulll this
request, in the spring of 1942
Col. Rene Studler, the Ordnance
Departments Chief of Research
and Development, ordered
development of a folding stock to
make the M1 Carbine even more
handy for paratroopers.
To create the design, Springeld
Armory, along with Inland and
Winchester (the two largest
producers of M1 Carbines during
WWII), went to work. In March of
1942, they submitted a design. The
brainchild of an engineer for the
Inland Division of General Motors,
the design allowed the trigger to
be operable with the carbines
stock both folded and unfolded.
With this innovation, a paratrooper
could jump with the stock folded,
yet still be able to re his weapon
if he should end up jumping into a

particularly hot landing zone.
The design was quickly approved
on May 12, 1942, as the M1A1.
All other carbine parts remained
standard, with only the stock on the
M1A1 being different.
A popular feature of the M1A1
was the pistol grip, which allowed
the carbine to be handled more
readily. Although there were 12
different M1 Carbine manufacturers,
all M1A1 Paratroop Carbines were
produced by Inland.
Often, a carbine manufactured by
another company can be found in
an M1A1 stock, but this just means
that it is not a correct World War
II example. In some cases, these
were actually military carbines
from other manufacturers that
had an M1A1 stock added during
refurbishing after the war. In other
cases, they were just assembled
to cash in on the premium that
collectors will pay for an M1A1.
By Leroy Thompson
081
One noticeable difference on the M1A1 is the method

of retaining the sling. On the standard M1 carbine, the
oiler acts as the rear sling retention point. This is not
the case on the M1A1, which has a rear sling mounting
point on the pistol grip. On the M1A1, the oiler is
mounted to a spring retention device on the stock.
As the M1A1 reached airborne units, fewer M1
Garands or Thompson SMGs were issued. Because of
the need for some troops to retain the ability to engage
at longer ranges, some paratroopers continued to carry

M1 ries or M1903A4 sniping ries.
First Combat
The M1A1 rst saw combat in the hands of 82nd

Airborne Division paratroopers during Operation Husky,
the July 1943 jump over Sicily. Although paratroopers
liked the fact that they could tuck the M1A1 under their
reserve chute to have it readily available, the downside
082
COMPACT
FIREPOWER
Photo courtesy of NARA
A paratrooper ring his

M1A1 Carbine.
A close look at the barrel of an

early M1A1 Carbine. Note that
there is no bayonet lug on most
World War II M1A1 Carbines.
Photo courtesy of NARA
083
These 17th Airborne paratroopers

prepare for Operation Varsity, the
jump across the Rhine. Note that the
Tech Sergeant at the left wears the
M1A1 Carbine jump holster.
was that the jerk from the main chute opening would
often cause the pistol grip to hit them in the chin.
To make jumping with the M1A1 more comfortable,
a holster was developed to hold the M1A1 with its
stock folded and a 15-round magazine in place. It was
designated as the holster assembly, parachutists for
the M1A1 carbine. With the ap closed, the overall
length of the holster was only 27 inches. Constructed
of padded canvas with a ap closed
by two snaps, it had a 6-inch belt
loop on the back and a 24-inch
leg strap at the bottom. It allowed
the M1A1 to be carried more
comfortably, yet still be accessible
immediately upon landing. Photos
of paratroopers on jumps later in
the war such as Market Garden
or Varsity show the holster in wide
usage. It does not appear to have
made it to paratroopers of the 11th
Airborne Division in the Pacic in
any signicant number, if at all.
Most M1A1 carbines that were used in combat during
World War II were of the early type, which had a xed
ip-up rear sight, a push-button safety and no bayonet
lug. The push-button safety was especially unpopular
with many paratroopers, as it was relatively close to
the magazine-release button. As a result, they would
sometimes hit the release button by mistake and drop
their magazine to the ground. This is a problematic
function to deal with in the middle of a reght.
Late-war-production inland carbines, including M1A1s,
incorporated an adjustable rear sight that allowed
effective engagement at longer ranges, a lever safety

that was less likely to be confused with the magazine
release and a bayonet lug. Those M1 and M1A1
carbines that lacked a bayonet lug were issued with the
M3 Trench/ghting knife, which was popular with the
paratroops. Later, when bayonet lugs were added to M1
and M1A1 carbines, the M4 bayonet for them was based
on the M3 ghting knife.
With this innovation,

a paratrooper could
jump with the stock
folded, yet still be able
to fire his weapon if he
ended up jumping into
a hot landing zone.
084
Stopping Power
The issue of stopping power has

often been raised when discussing
the M1 carbine. This is partially
due to a misunderstanding of the
mission of the M1 or M1A1 carbine
especially the latter.
The M1 carbine was intended to
give support troops or others who
would formerly have been armed
with a pistol a weapon that would
offer greater range and knockdown
power. However, it was often
compared to the M1 rie, which was a full-size battle rie
ring the .30-06 cartridge as opposed to the .30 Carbine
round. Yes, the M1 rie was a more effective manstopper and man-killer than the M1 carbine, but it was
also bigger and heavier and red from eight-round clips.
The M1 carbine, and especially the M1A1, was
far lighter and more compact, and it was red from
detachable, 15-round box magazines. Airborne troops
were intended to function as raiders dropped to seize
key objectives quickly. Normally, they were expected to
ght at relatively close range until they were relieved.
This is a good view of the MA1 folding stock

showing how the oiler was clipped to the
reverse of the cheek piece. Note also the sling
attachment point on the pistol grip.
A paratrooper with his M1A1 Carbine

tucked behind his reserve parachute.
Some paratroopers disliked this
method, as they found that the pistol
grip would hit them in the face when
their main chute opened.
085
COMPACT
FIREPOWER
Firepower was important, and the M1A1 offered that.

Still, it was important that M1 ries continued to be
carried by some of the paratroops in order to keep the
enemy at a distance.
Although the M1A1 was used
primarily by U.S. paratroopers
during World War II, 2,104 were
supplied to British allies. These
may have been for use by units
such as the Special Operations
Executive or the Special Air
Service. Sources do not specify
who received the M1A1 lendlease carbines. After World
War II, a substantial number of
M1A1 carbines were sent to French paratroopers, who
used them extensively in Indochina.
sought-after collectible. Prices for an authentic World

War II M1A1 with original features in nice condition have
soared to upward of $3,000. Those original Inland M1A1
carbines that were refurbished and upgraded post-World
War II with the adjustable
rear sight, lever safety, bayonet
lug and other modications
are still desirable and will
probably bring $1,500 or more.
I consider either of these
examples a valid GI M1A1
carbine, though I suppose it
could be said that the carbine
with early features is more
valid. Anyone desiring to own
an M1A1 carbine must be very knowledgeable in order
to avoid getting stuck with a reproduction. There are
features that identify an original stock, and it is important
to be familiar with them. Many reproduction stocks have
been made, and original World War II Inland Carbines
have been put into them.
Go ahead. Delve into history a little. IMS
Airborne troops were

intended to function as
raiders dropped to seize
key objectives quickly.
Collectors
M1A1 paratroop carbines have always been extremely

popular with collectors. The airing of the HBO miniseries
Band of Brothers made the M1A1 an even more widely
About the author: Leroy Thompson has

trained and advised military and police special
operations units around the world, and he has
had more than 45 books published.
A view of the M1A1s pistol grip and magazine. Note the push-button safety
just in front of the trigger guard and the push-button magazine release
just in front of that. Paratroopers found that in combat, it was possible to
inadvertently hit the magazine release, thinking it was the safety.
086
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088
3
Generations
A LOOK AT THREE SOLID GENERATIONS OF U.S. MILITARY SMALL ARMS
By Paul Hantke
hile there always seem to be rumors of new personal weapons systems for the U.S. Armed
Forces, it typically turns out to be a lot of uff and much ado about nothing. Thats easy to see
when you consider that going back just three generations of issued rearms will take you to
1935 for ries and 1873 for handguns.
Not exactly a staggering amount of turnover.
HANDGUNS
COLT MODEL P
safely while loaded with ve cartridges and the hammer
down on an empty chamber. This is because the xed
ring pin on the hammer is left resting on the primer of
a loaded round when it is lowered, and any sort of blow
to the back of the hammer will re the cartridge.
The old Colt served well for decades, and was later
recalled for duty in the Philippines early in the 1900s
because the newly adapted .38 caliber handguns
proved to be poor man-stoppers in the face of the
drug-fueled, fanatical and suicidal tribesmen in that
conict. That experience, along with the transition from
horses to motor vehicles for the more mobile troops
emphasized the need for a new service handgun. This
On the handgun side we nd ourselves dealing with

the classic Colt Model P, also known as the Single
Action Army, which was introduced in 1873. This piece
is rather iconic, whether it conjures up images of the
Cavalry Trooper with a Colt in his ap cover holster or
any one of dozens of Old West heroes and villains that
we all know from the movies.
Almost any red-blooded American male can identify
the Colt six-shooter, and many will be under the
impression that the handgun was the only option
available to shooters at the time In fact, the West was
awash with other choices, both domestic and foreign,
when the Model P came on the market.
It was offered in many barrel lengths and calibers,
089
This piece is rather iconic, whether it
conjures up images of the Cavalry Trooper
with a Colt in his flap cover holster or
any one of dozens of Old West heroes and
villains that we know from the movies.
but the military issue Colt wore a 7.5-inch barrel

and weighed in at about 38 ounces. The military .45
load was a 250-grain lead slug propelled at about
750-800 fps, while the civilian ammunition was a bit
stouter. This was an economic measure based on the
powder savings achieved through loading hundreds of
thousands or even millions of rounds at a time, and it
also tamed the recoil somewhat while mediating some
of the stresses on the heavily-used gun.
For infantry ground troops, the Colt was a secondary
weapon to their primary rie or carbine, but mounted
troops found that the easy one-handed handling
and multiple shots available provided the edge they
needed while ghting on horseback. In addition, the
Colt was a simple and sturdy product that was easy to
troubleshoot and repair when it did break.
One of the few issues with the Colt is that while it
was chambered for six rounds, it could only be carried
one had to maintain the man-stopping power of the

old Model P, while offering it in a smaller package that
provided a faster rate of repower and quicker reloads
than the single action had offered.
Many nations had been experimenting with selfloading semi-automatic handguns around the turn
of the century. While there were many attempts, the
success of Germanys Luger P08 put an exclamation
mark on the mission statement. The U.S. was in the
middle of all of this and had been testing semi-auto
handguns for some time including .45 caliber
versions of the Luger, which are worth about a million
bucks each today. Colt had submitted their 1905
model, but it was just not robust enough for general
issue and heavy use by lunk-headed troops. Then,
John Browning came to the rescue with his latest
development, the Colt 1911 pistol chambered in .45
ACP.
HANDGUNS
1911
The new 1911 was built like a tank. It was accurate
and reliable, quick to reload and suitable for onehanded use. This requirement was a hold-over from
when a trooper needed one hand to hold and control
the horses reins, but as the military transitioned to
motor vehicles, it seemed like the feature would still
prove invaluable. However, time has shown that
drivers need to drive and that takes two hands,
especially with manual transmissions.
The new .45 ACP round virtually duplicated the
performance of the old Colt .45 ammo, and it was
dispensed from an interchangeable 7-round stick
magazine. Originally, .45 ACP ammo had a 200-grain
bullet moving at about 900 fps, but the military
090
Although there was concern that

debris could get in at the open
top of the slide, that has not been
the case. The M9 has worked well
in the worst of conditions.
requested and received a load featuring a 230-grain

slug traveling around 750 fps. There is a plethora of
different loads available for the .45 ACP today, but
the original 230-grain FMJ instilled so much trust
in those who used it that it eventually inspired the
phrase, They all fall to ball!
Minor changes in the sights, trigger, back strap
and some other items resulted in the more current
1911A1 model, and the two versions served faithfully
through two world wars, as well as in Korea and
Vietnam. While it was replaced for general issue by
the Beretta M9 (Model 92 FS) in the mid-1980s, the
old Colt is still carried by various Special Forces and
other elite U.S. military units.
The 1911 served in two world

wars, as well as the Korean and
Vietnam wars.
091
HANDGUNS
Beretta M9
The Beretta M9 was initially an attempt to increase
repower to a 15-round magazine, lighten recoil and
bring the U.S. into line with the NATO guidelines
that ask for a 9mm handgun. Testers were looking
for a pistol with rst round double-action that could
be carried safely hammer-down with a round in the
chamber. This project was also supposed to reduce
the size and weight of the sidearm, but that concept
went right out the window since the Beretta is a big
gun. Dimensionally similar to the Colt 1911A1, it also
nearly matches the weight of the Colt at 35 ounces.
The grip is also much larger to house the doublestacked magazine required to increase the cartridge
capacity. The Beretta actually came in second next to
the SIG P226 after all the testing was done. The nal
hurdle was price, and thats why the slightly-cheaper
Beretta was selected to replace the 1911.
The main concern testers had with the Beretta
was the open top of the slide that will allow dirt
and debris to get in and clog the gun, rendering it
inoperable. Many years of use in rearm-challenging
environments have shown that this is not the problem
it appears to be, and the Beretta sloughs off dirt,
mud and sand to continue ring under the worst of
conditions. Other than size and weight, the Beretta
meets all of the qualiers for a 1911 replacement, and
the government has just contracted for two more big
batches of the pistol to arm our troops.
rifles
m1 garand
Getting back to our three generations theme,
we start out with the M1 Garand. The Garand was
chambered for the .30-06 cartridge, but it was
otherwise way ahead of its time as an issue battle rie.
The Garand represents one of the few times the U.S.
military beat everyone else to the punch: it introduced
a semi-auto rie with an eight-shot capacity while
the rest of the world plodded along with ve-shot bolt
actions.
The Garand was adopted in the mid-1930s, but
rie production was so slow that many units were still
using the old Springeld at the beginning of WWII.
Production was quickly ramped up after the start of the
hostilities, and soon everyone was carrying a Garand,

which is arguably the gun that eventually won the war
for the U.S. and our allies.
Weighing in at around 9.5 pounds, the Garand
was fed that .30-06 cartridge by an 8-shot clip that
was inserted through the top of the open action. This
feeding system was criticized because you could not
top off the rie after ring only a few rounds, making
it necessary to empty the rie so that the clip would
eject before reloading. The second issue was that the
rie emitted a distinctive ping when the clip did pop
out, alerting the enemy that your rie was empty.
Ive been in dozens of reghts, and I cant think of
092
Rifles
1903 springfield
Switching over to long guns, Im going to cheat a
little and look back four generations to include an extra
rie. That would be the 1903 Springeld, the gun that
brought the U.S. into the 20th century.
America was so impressed with the Mauser K98 rie
and its ammunition that we set about copying it with
the Springeld and its fodder. The rie replaced the old
Krag bolt action with a new action, new feed system
and new ammunition. If you doubt that we copied the
Mauser, you are probably not aware that this issue
was settled in court and that the U.S. paid patent
infringement royalties to Germany right up until WWI.
trigger group and gas system are all pure Garand,

and the manual-at-arms functions the same. The only
exception is that you change out the 20-round box
magazine as opposed to inserting another 8-round
clip.
Besides the advantage of a slightly lighter cartridge
that increased the round count of an individuals
ammo load capacity, the M14 was also a selective re
rie offering full-auto operation. This sounds like a big
advantage over the Garand until you try it, and then
you realize that it takes two men and a boy to hold the
M14 down when red on full-auto.
one instance where I could have heard the sound of a

clip ejecting or hitting the ground. However, there must
be some truth to this because there are many stories
of U.S. ground troops carrying a few empty clips and
using them to fool the enemy into attacking when they
thought someones rie was out of ammo.
The great Garand was replaced by the M14 after
NATO adopted the 7.62x51mm (.308 Winchester)
round in the 1950s. The cartridge itself duplicated the
performance of the .30-06 from a slightly smaller case
thanks to new powders, and the M14 is essentially
just a magazine-fed Garand. The action, sights,
093
The 1903 Springeld brought the

U.S into the 20th Century.
We didnt get it right the rst time with the

ammunition, however, and the original load used a
heavy, round-nose bullet. Corrections were made
after three years, and a new cartridge was introduced
that used a pointed, spitzer bullet like the German
ammunition in 7mm and 8mm.
This was the .30-06, whose name designates its

bullet diameter and year of introduction. It did the job
that the military needed, not only near its initial issue
point, but all the way through the mid-century mark.
It was also a strong favorite in hunting game elds
across the globe.
rifles
Colt m16
The success of the Russian AK47 and its intermediate 7.62x39mm round caused the West to re-think their
strategies, and the Colt M16 ring the 5.56x45mm round was born in the 1950s. Short, light, and easy to control
on full-auto, the M16 seemed like a good answer to the problems of todays battleelds, but reliability issues
plagued the gun in its rst years of combat. This was eventually determined to be due to a combination of a
change in the gunpowder used and less than meticulous cleaning and maintenance of the rie by the troops.
094
Rifles
m16
Once these problems were solved, the focus was
switched to the somewhat mediocre accuracy of the
M16. That was determined to be due primarily to the
1-in-14 barrel twist rate. It was soon changed to a
1-in-9 twist that helped better stabilize the 55-grain
bullet. Unfortunately, while the newly stabilized bullet
was more accurate, it no longer upset upon impact,
which sacriced the tremendous shocking power
of the earlier conguration. In short, the bullet was
now punching neat holes instead of tumbling when

it hit, which is what had given the little cartridge its
outstanding performance in the rst place.
From there, the U.S. experimented with different
bullet weights and constructions while also evolving
the rie itself. Eventually it arrived at the M4 version
of today and the 62-grain green tip ammo that it
uses. The M4 is a more compact version of the M16,
often tted with a collapsible stock, and it has now
Initially, the M16 had a 1:14 twist

rate. To stabilize the bullet, that
was changed to 1:9.
095
The Colt M16 Rie is now in its fourth generation

of the M16 series weapon system, and it is the
world standard by which all other weapons of this
class are judged. It rened the combat rie at its
introduction and half a century later, it is still the
ultimate full length combat rie in 5.56mm caliber.
served well for many years.

The little M16/M4 Mouseguns arent the perfect
solution, however. The military has scrambled to
service and re-issue many of the retired M14s,
since battleground contact ranges have increased,
particularly in Afghanistan.
So, those are the last three long guns of the
U.S. military, but as always, testing continues. We
currently have new rie cartridges for the M16/M4

platform in addition to advanced explosive rounds
with proximity fuses that can be set to explode inside
buildings or behind barricades.
TOUGH TO BEAT
Whatever the next gun looks like, the New Guy will
really have to be something special to overshadow
these guns of the past and present. IMS
DREAM G
096
SURPLUS COLLECTIBLES THAT SHOOT FOR THE STARS

By Abe Elias - Photos Courtesy of Rock Island Auction Company
ormally, when
you say military
surplus, peoples
minds turn to
inexpensive
rearms and
low-cost ammo.
I remember when I rst started
looking into military surplus: it was
right after I read an article about the
Swedish Mauser. The writer talked
about how he lived in Alaska and
used the rie as his everyday rie.
The idea was to carry it instead
of one of his nicer ries that had
an expensive stock. Shortly after
that article, a shipment of Swedish
Mausers came in to my local
gun shop, and I bought one for a
whopping $67.00. Had I known

then what I know now, I would
have bought 10 of them, but who
could have anticipated that these
workhorses would appreciate so
much? Military surplus has a cheap
end, but it also has a deep end.
Many of the cheaper guns have
risen in value, along with the already
highly collectable rearms.
Last September, I had a chance
to really take a good look at the
collectable side of military surplus
and was impressed at what there
was to learn. My visit to Rock
Island Auction House was like a trip
back through time, an educational
experience I wont soon forget. That
said, I thought it would be good to

share some of the more interesting
military pieces that caught my eye.
Why Collect?
The rst questions I asked the

folks at Rock Island concerned
what they collected and why. As
expected, the answers were as
varied as the people themselves.
Still, when you break them down,
the responses I gathered can be
roughly divided into a couple of
general categories.
Collecting by Theme
Collecting by theme means

that a person has created a
set of collection guidelines that
M GUNS
097
Collecting the FG-42 puts the collector in a
private club of sorts, since they are so rare and
hard to come by. Just nding extra magazines for
this highly sought-after rearm is a feat in itself.
This is a particularly interesting

item that was intended as a
last-ditch escape device for a
German ofcer. The belt buckle
res .22LR rimre cartridges. It is
heavy piece, and in this particular
case, it cannot be authenticated
as an original.
098
generally direct what he or she will acquire. Guidelines

could be as loose as what the person desires or nds
interestingwhich could also be a blanket explanation
for nearly collection. A more specic example of
completing a set would be if a person decided to
collect every make and model of sidearm carried in
World War II by the Allied forces, or even by both sides.
That person would then set out to collect 1911s made
by Remington, Colt and Singer. Likewise with the Luger,
he would collect the different manufacturers and models
such as the Artillery, Luftwaffe, Naval and Army models.
A complete set can be dened by anything that the
collector determines makes a set. There are commonly
recognized sets that run by war or by group, such as
German or Japanese-related rearms.
One of the most interesting themes I found was
based on technological advancements. This group
usually collects based on a rearms design and how it
contributes to the advancement of rearms. Prototypes
are the holy grail of this group. Collecting in this group
usually means competing for a small group of rearms
that were most likely produced in small numbers for test
purposes. An excellent example would be the 1905 trials
for the U.S. Armys contract for a new sidearm. We know
now that the 1911 won, but back then it had to compete
against the Savage Arms .45 ACP 1907 model, of which
there were only about 200 made.
A third would be as an investment. Looking at it
purely from a money angle, rearms investing has been
sorely undervalued and under-discussed. Taking as an
example the 1911 models, which would you guess would
be most valuable: a Remington, Colt or Singer? Some
people might be surprised to hear that its a Singer. What
about the actual test pistols? Few people actually know

that Luger also entered into the trials, but only submitted
two pistols chambered in .45 ACP. Lugers .45 ACP
models are among the most valuable Lugers ever made.
As time passes, certain rearms only become harder to
nd, driving up their price. Many people collect rearms
for the express purpose of holding on to them until they
can realize a return on their investment.
What I Saw, and What It Brought
The idea of providing aircrews with a survival rearm

was considered by the Luftwaffe for its bomber crews.
To make sure they were provided for, the Luftwaffe
contracted J.P. Sauer and Son to have a Drilling rearm
made that would be issued to each crew. Drilling,
incidentally, means triplet in German. A Drilling rearm,
designated to be the M30, was issued to each bomber.
These rie/shotgun combos would seem out of place
as military issue; they were made pre-war and with
the utmost quality, since they were to be used as a
nely crafted hunting rie. The two top barrels were
chambered in a 12-gauge shotgun with a rie barrel
chambered in 93x74R. The 93x74R is a large game
cartridge with a rimmed case. The M30 bore Nazi
Luftwaffe marks on both the stock and receiver. Overall,
it was in excellent condition and was accompanied by
its carrying case with full documentation. Prior to my
trip to Rock Island, I did not know that such a rearm
existed. Had I ever found one, I would have been left
guessing as to its purpose. Without researching it rst,
I would have simply thought it to be a Drilling with Nazi
markings. At auction, this particular model realized a
nal price of $20,700.
Beautiful engraving and a multi-colored heat-treat

pattern decorate the receiver. The N on the barrel is
the mark of the German Luftwaffe with Nazi emblem.
Lot 744 is a rare Police Ordnance

Company Class III. It was
produced by the Police Ordnance
Company but originally designed
by Gordon Ingram in 1948. It is
chambered in .45 ACP. A small
number of them were produced
by the company. For those of you
not familiar with Gordon Ingram,
he went on to design the MAC-10
and MAC-11.
099
Here is a picture of the full set, the Luftwaffe
Drilling M-30 and its carrying case as they would
have sat in a German World War II bomber.
Here is a picture of a STG-44 with the Krummlouf curved barrel

and optics sights mounted on it, a perfect example of wartime
innovation. At that stage, technology might not have been able
to pull it off, but the perceived need for a rearm to shoot around
things without exposing the shooter was still there.
100
Although it is not thought of as one of the best pistols

from the war, the Japanese Nambu pistol is still highly
collectable. There were numerous models at the auction
I attended, but the one that caught my eye was a Type
1902 Grandpa Nambu. This particular Nambu came
with a buttstock/holster and was an excellent example of
the Nambu rearms. Less than 150 Grandpa Nambus
are in the U.S. today, although more than 2,400 type
1902s were made. Manufactured in Koishikawa, Japan,
at the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal between 1903 and 1906,
the pistol was chambered in 8mm. You can identify
a rearm produced in Tokyo Arsenal when you see a
stack of three cannonballs stamped on the receiver. The
Nambu uses an internal bolt system and is similar to the
Luger in general appearance. It was originally designed
with wooden magazines, which were later switched to
aluminum. When I held one, it felt very comfortable in my
hand and reminded me a lot of a Ruger Mark I/II/III pistol.
Nambus seem to attract their own crowd of collectors,
and since they are rare, they bring a fair price at auction.
On auction day, this particular Nambu realized $10,350.

This next rearm is sought-after by collectors for a
number of different reasons. A person might want it
because it was a German rearm from World War II, or
because of its technological legacy that carries on in
rearms to this day. The rearm is the STG-44 Assault
rie, accompanied by a rare accessory, a Krummlauf
curved barrel and an optical sighting device. The STG44 is well known for advancing rearm technology.
In fact, it inuenced the development of the Gerat
06/06H rie, which in turn inuenced many of Heckler
& Kochs early designs. The curved barrel attachment
was developed to allow soldiers to shoot out of tanks
and around corners. I didnt get a chance to mount it on
the rearm and look through it, but I did try it by itself. I
was surprised at how easy it was to line up the sights
through the viewnder. Such a piece is extremely rare,
and taken with the rie you would have the centerpiece
to most collections. The STG-44, nicknamed the storm
rie, was produced in 1944 and 45, toward the end of
the war. The STG-44 was an improved version of the

MP-43, which was produced in 1943 and battle tested.
Both the 43 and 44 were chambered in 7.62x33mm, and
the high-capacity magazine is among the innovations it
brought to the eld. It realized $63,250 at auction.
The nal rearm on my list is one of those Holy Grail
quest items for World War II, the Fallshirmajabergewehr
FG-42 Paratrooper rie, more easily referred to as the
FG-42. The Luftwaffe contracted this rie after it realized
that its paratroopers needed a weapon to bring with
them during jumps. In an earlier assault, the German
Luftwaffe had tried parachuting troops and the mainstay
of their weaponry separately. During the jump, the troops
and their weapons were separated, and the raid failed.
Afterward, they started searching for a weapon that the
troops could take on jumps. The eventual solution was
the development of the FG-42. About 5,000 of these were
produced, and they were only issued to paratroopers. The
model at the Rock Island auction was a mid-production
second model. Many of the FG-42s were destroyed after
the war, and few remain. The design was advanced for
its time and inuenced designs such as the U.S. M-60. It
had many unique features, and it would be well worth a
study by any gun buff. Very few of these ries come up
for auction, and when they do, they are in high demand.
This particular model realized $299,000, which was a full
$59,000 over its estimated value.
Military surplus is fascinating, and I covered only
a small part of it by looking at mostly World War
II collectables. Even if surplus just sounds like an
inexpensive beater in your mind, it is worth studying
these rearms. Many of them have stories that can
teach us a number of things about rearm technology,
strategy and political climates. None of these rearms
were developed in a vacuum. And as far as the bigdollar items are concerned, even if you cant afford
them, they are interesting to learn about.
(A special thanks to Rock Island Auction House for
providing all of the photography and background on
these rearms.) IMS
This is a U.S. trench shotgun

Model 12 manufactured between
1944 and 1945. This model was
made by Winchester. These
shotguns saw use in World War II,
Korea and even Vietnam. Trench
shotguns are currently growing in
popularity among collectors.
A Grandpa Nambu, complete with buttstock/holster.

The pistol is chambered in 8mm and has an internal
bolt. In many ways, it is very similar to the modern
Ruger Mark I/II/III.
101
THE
UNEQUALED
102
THE MOST DOMINANT MILITARY RIFLES OF

By Chuck Taylor
alk about a challenge.

In the years since
World War II, there
have emerged many
excellent (and a few
not so excellent)
military ries, so
selecting six that would be considered
the best would be difcult.
After much consideration, we
decided to concentrate on which six
have been the most dominant. The
selection focused on each ries
proliferation, battleeld reputation and
inuence on military rie development.
In the following pages are the six
that ultimately made the cut.
MODERN TIMES.
With more than 6.5 million

produced, the U.S. Carbine, caliber
.30, M1, M2 & M3 ranks among
the most dominant military ries of
modern times.
First appearing in 1940, this
carbine was the rst U.S. military
rie to utilize ammunition with
non-corrosive priming, and it was
in continuous production from
September 1940 until August 1945.
Intended as a substitute for the
M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol, it was
created for use by soldiers whose
missions didnt require a full-sized
rie. Such personnel included
ofcers, crew-served weapon team
members, armored crewmen,
artillerymen, paratroops and support
troops, among others.
Chambered for a short .30-caliber
cartridge that was roughly equivalent
to the .32-20 Winchester, it met the
Army requirement for a lightweight,
compact rie with an effective range
of 300 yards. Unfortunately, though
convenient to carry and shoot, its
military FMJ ammunition quickly
garnered it a reputation for being a
poor manstopper in battle. Combat
troops to whom it was issued quickly
began to discard of it in favor of
more proven weapons like the
Thompson submachine gun.
As if this wasnt enough, the
weapon itself began to receive
criticism for marginal functional
reliability, particularly in the cold
temperatures typical of Northern
European winters and the harsh
natural environments of the Pacic
Islands. Both criticisms were to
plague it for its entire career,

particularly during the bitter cold
winter campaigns of the Korean
War, where many U.S. troops even
threw it away and made do with
whatever other weapons they could
nd. In fact, it had such a poor
reputation that the troops in all but
one of the units felt that it was the
worst weapon of that war.
Utilizing a 15-shot magazine,
the M1 carbine was the rst in
its series. Predictably, a folding
stocked version known as the M1A1
appeared for use by airborne troops.
By late 1944, a select-re version
known as the M2 surfaced, which
utilized a 30-shot magazine. During
the latter stages of the Korean War,
the infrared-sighted M3 utilized one
as well, and this was Americas rst
attempt at a serious night-vision
weapon small arms system.
As late as the Vietnam War, the
.30 carbine typically in its M2
version could be found, most
often in the hands of Vietnamese
troops and their U.S. Special Forces
and MAAG advisors. Because
of its small size and light recoil,
it became a popular weapon in
particular with the small-statured
people of Southeast Asia.
Due to the aggressive anticommunist posture the United
States adopted during the Cold
War, the .30 carbine was widely
disseminated around the world.
As late as the 1980s, it could be
encountered anywhere from Africa
to the Philippines, to Latin America
and even in Eastern Europe, where
M1 and M2 carbines were similar in appearance, with

the M2 utilizing a slightly more robust stock and
handguard. Selector switch for the M2 was located on
the left side of the forward portion of the receiver.
during World War II it had been

provided in quantity to hundreds of
anti-Nazi guerilla groups.
Interestingly enough, its M2
version inadvertently met the classic
German criteria for assault ries.
That criteria stipulates that the
weapon must:
1. Be a carbine.
2. Utilize an intermediate-powered
cartridge that was more potent than
a pistol cartridge, but less powerful
than a full-sized rie cartridge.
3. Utilize a detachable box
magazine.
4. Be capable of executing fullyautomatic re.
Via a selector switch located on
the forward part of its receiver, the
M2 had an ofcial cyclic rate of 750
rpm, but the actual rates varied from
550 to as much as 900 rpm, which
was too fast for its magazine to feed
reliably. The M1s original 15-shot
magazine also did not hold the bolt
open after the last shot was red,
but as a stopgap measure, the later
30-shot M2 mag incorporated a
follower that had the ability to jam
the bolt open.
In summary, though they are
among of the most dominant
military ries of modern times, the
U.S. M1-, M2- and M3-.30 caliber
carbines have inherited a mostly
negative legacy. As an advisor to
Vietnamese Popular Forces during
the Vietnam War, I carried and used
one for some time and saw rsthand
that criticisms as to its mechanical
unreliability and poor stopping
power were indeed true.
NO.1
U.S. .30 CALIBER CARBINES
M1, M2 & M3
103
104
NO.2
M1 GARAND
Without question the .30-06 M1 Garand was the
rie that marked the end of the bolt-action era and
revolutionized military rie design. Designed by
Springeld Armory engineer John C. Garand, it was
adopted in 1936 and deployed in the early years of
World War II. The Garand quickly found favor with
U.S. troops, generals and the enemy as well, with
General George S. Patton declaring it to be the
nest battle implement ever devised.
More than six million M1s were produced, and
its career spanned several decades. It was used
by dozens of nations in the post-WW2 era and
even saw service as late as the Vietnam War.
From a design standpoint, the Garand was also

revolutionary, and it was the basis for the U.S. M14
and Italian BM59.
However, it was not without its detractors. Those
weaned on the traditional bolt-action rie claimed that
the semi-automatic Garand would be inaccurate,
which was quickly disproven. It was also claimed that
the M1 wasnt as reliable as the M1903 Springeld it
replaced, and its early service in the Pacic Theatre
at Tarawa reinforced that notion. Nonetheless, the
Garands problems were found to be lubricationbased and were quickly solved, allowing it to become
one of the most famous military ries in history.
Following World War II, the Russians elded their own

semi-auto rie, the SKS. Designed by Sergei Gavrilovich
Simonov, it rst appeared in late 1945 and was the rst
rie to ever utilize the 7.62x39mm cartridge. With an
excess of 15 million of them produced, the SKS quickly
proliferated. It was the standard service rie of not only
the Soviet satellite nations, but dozens of third world
countries as well, until it was ofcially replaced by the
AK47 in the 1960s. In fact, it can still be encountered
today virtually everywhere.
Though of conventional design and conguration, the
SKS did have several unique and notable features for

the time. First, it featured a 10-round internal magazine
that was loaded via a 10-round stripper clip, giving it a
bit more capacity than was typical at the time. Second,
the magazine body itself was hinged and could thus
be swung out for cleaning or inspection, something not
typical of semi-auto ries in those days. Third, because it
utilized the lesser-powered 7.62x39mm cartridge, it could
be made smaller and lighter a carbine, in fact, rather
than a full-sized battle rie. For those of smaller physical
stature, it became an immediate favorite.
NO.4
AK-47
Having been on the receiving
end of the rst true assault rie,
the 7.92mm German StG44, the
Russians quickly saw the advantage
of having a lightweight carbine that
fed from a removable large capacity
magazine and possessed both
semi-automatic and fully-automatic
capability. However, the limitations
of the Soviet production system
and their fundamental military
philosophies precluded the degree
of sophistication found in ries
produced by the Western nations.
Moreover, the training of Soviet
troops at the time was rudimentary at
best. Due to the poor maintenance
that inevitably resulted, it became
clear that whatever rie was

developed should, rst and foremost,
possess extreme mechanical
reliability.
Designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, a
wounded combat veteran himself,
was all too aware of this. He
incorporated the extreme reliability
factor as the nucleus of what was
to become the most famous rie
in military history the AK47. The
Avtomat Kalashnikova, Model of
1947, was accepted by the Soviet
military in 1949 and went into
production almost immediately.
Manufacturing economy and
production time was a major
concern to the Soviets, who had
to arm and support one of the

largest military forces in the world.
As a result, in addition to being
exceptionally reliable, the AK47 was
simple to operate and remarkably
easy to maintain, relatively light
and compact, sufciently powerful
and adequately accurate to meet
Soviet needs. Though crude by
Western standards, the AK series
quickly reached worldwide status,
with an impressive 75 million of
them produced. If its variants are
considered, that number climbs to
an even more stunning 100 million.
Is the AK47 the best military
rie? A tough question, because
the answer depends upon
NO.3
SKS
105
the fundamental military philosophies involved.

Western nations train their troops better, have more
sophisticated communications and logistic support
systems and also utilize a wider variety of tactics to
minimize personnel losses, so weapon design and
training in maintenance isnt a problem.
The Russians, on the other hand, did not possess
106
these capabilities, and thus had to utilize mass-attack

philosophies to achieve their military objectives. In
short, their approach to war was and still is less
toward minimizing their personnel losses and more
toward the simpler strategies and tactics of mass
attack to achieve their goals. For that purpose, the
AK47 is the perfect rie.
By 1949, the United States and other Western

nations united to form NATO to combat the Soviets, and
the Cold War became more intense. Because it was
envisioned that NATOs member-nations would ght
side-by-side against the Russians, it became obvious
that their weapons, equipment and logistic systems
would need to be universal.
The U.S. military had completed a detailed evaluation
of WWII German small arms and had come to
appreciate the assault rie concept as represented by
the StG44 and AK47, but because of the sheer number
of Garands and .30-06 ammunition available, resisted
their replacement. A somewhat leisurely program to
nd a suitable replacement for the M1 was instituted
in 1946, but it was not at the time considered critically
important, so the venerable Garand and .30-06
remained in ofcial service until 1958. In truth, however,
both of them continued to serve well into the 1960s,
and they saw considerable action in the early stages of
the Vietnam War.
The problem with the U.S.s decision was that it
precluded the universality of weapons and equipment
needed to make NATO function to its highest level
of efciency, and several member nations thus
endeavored to nd a more modern rie for their
needs. Fabrique Nationale, which was and still
is one of the worlds largest arms manufacturers,
endeavored to market a rie to ll the void between the
M1 Garand and AK47. After a few years of research
and development, and no small amount of political

maneuvering, the company produced the rie that was
to be subsequently known as the right arm of the free
world the FAL. Although the FAL was not an assault
rie, it did utilize the then-new 7.62x51mm (.308 WIN)
cartridge being promoted by the U.S., and the detachable
box magazine was ergonomically and mechanically
superior to the Garand. Because it utilized a central
receiver design, it could be congured with minimal effort,
both as an individual infantrymans rie and as a squad
automatic weapon.
The FAL, in its standard, paratroop and squad-auto
versions, was offered in 1953 and quickly accepted. It
proliferated like wildre, becoming the standard military
rie of more than 120 nations. By the time it ceased
production in 1988, more than two million had been
produced, and it remains in service to this day.
The most famous and ironic event in its history occurred
during the Falklands War, when both sides utilized slightly
different versions of the basic FAL against each other. Yet
because the Argentine version was metric and the British
version utilized inch measurements, the magazines and
most of the internal parts were incompatible.
Another keynote of the FALs history is its immense
proliferation throughout Africa during the 1960s, during
which time it became somewhat of a symbol of eliteness
among the troops. Renowned for being tough, reliable,
user-friendly and accurate, it was much sought-after and
is still widely used there today.
It proliferated like wildfire, becoming the

standard military rifle of more than 120 nations.
NO.5
FN-FAL
107
NO.6
M16
As the U.S. was increasingly drawn into conict in
Southeast Asia in the late 1950s, it became apparent
that even if it had been available in sufcient numbers,
the 7.62x51mm M14 was too large and heavy for
efcient jungle use.
The U.S. Air Force had recently adopted the
revolutionary 5.56x45mm (.223 REM) AR-15 as a
survival rie for SAC bomber crews and base security
personnel. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara
began to push hard for universality of weapons and
equipment within all U.S. military forces, so the AR-15
was battleeld-tested in 1960-61 by U.S. Special Forces
and SEAL teams in Vietnam. After a prolonged test
period in actual combat, it was found to be suitable and
was adopted in 1963 as the M16.
The M16 was the rst U.S. assault rie, and it
experienced a rocky start due to mechanical problems in
its baptism by re in the early days of the Vietnam War.
However, it should be noted that its inventor, Eugene
Stoner, had pointed out the potential problems early on,
but had been ignored by the military.
108
Specically, the tropical jungles of Vietnam were a

tough natural environment, with temperatures of more
than 100 degrees Fahrenheit and 100% humidity
common. Along with the fact that it rained virtually every
day there, the high temperatures and humidity would
cause serious corrosion problems in the weapons bore
and chamber areas.
Stoner suggested that hard-chroming both would
eliminate the problem, but he was ignored by the U.S.
Army, and the M16 thus became the target of a tragic
controversy in which several hundred U.S. troops were
killed because their weapons failed due to corrosion
damage. The problem was then corrected, and the M16
in several congurations has gone on to serve with
distinction. In fact, it has been in service longer than any
other previous U.S. rie.
Unfortunately, its 5.56x45mm cartridge has not been
so fortunate. From the moment it was adopted back in
1963, it has amassed an unenviable reputation as a poor
manstopper with FMJ military ammunition. However, the
U.S. Army insists otherwise, so the problem persists.
PICK
SIX
These are the six most dominant military ries in
modern history. Their proliferation is worldwide and
their reputations well-known, although not always
accurately understood. There are certainly other
perfectly good ries. The M14 is one example of a
gun that was well-performing but wasnt produced
in sufcient quantity to even reach service-wide
proliferation in the U.S. Army before it was replaced.
The U.S. .30 caliber carbines M1, M2 & M3, the
M1 Garand, SKS, AK-47, FAL and M16 are by far
the most dominant military ries in modern history.
Between them, they reect the best efforts of the
cultures, economies and military philosophies that
produced them and obviously, for their intended
purposes, theyre all excellent choices.
Whether you agree or disagree with whether they
are truly the best military ries, remember this
the numbers dont lie. IMS
The M16 was the first

U.S. assault rifle, and
it experienced a rocky
start
About the author: A decorated Vietnam veteran
of two combat tours in that conict, Chuck Taylor has
additional expertise in SWAT, counter-insurgency
and counter-terrorist operations.
As U.S. soldiers and Marines have become more

and more overburdened with equipment, the need
to make the M16 more compact has resulted in the
M4. Essentially a third generation of the Vietnam-era
XM177E2 Commando itself merely a compact
version of the M16 the M4 is light, handy and fast.
But like its M16 predecessor, it suffers from controversy
about its mechanical reliability as well as its poor
stopping power this time over in the dusty deserts of
the Middle East.
While many here in the U.S. ofcially and unofcially
pooh-pooh both issues, the troops in the eld are all too
aware of them and are forced to deal with them as best
as they can. I have both experienced and witnessed
repeated failures to stop against enemy personnel with
5.56x45mm FMJ military ammo with solid, well-placed
hits, so in my view, the controversy is well-founded. To
date, recommendations to replace the 5.56 with a larger
caliber cartridge have also been rebuffed. Though the
Remington 6.8mm SPC cartridge performed quite well
in the hands of U.S. Special Operations Forces in both
Iraq and Afghanistan in both the M4 and FN-SCAR, no
plans to adopt it have been announced.
As early as 1960, Colt advised the U.S. Army that
replacing the direct gas ow into the bolt carrier key of
the M16 with a more conventional gas piston system
would greatly enhance its reliability, but their advice
was completely ignored. Since then, there have been
several more occasions in which this same remedy has
been suggested, but no action has been taken by the
U.S. military thus far.
Because it features a gas-piston instead of direct gas
feed into the receiver like the M16/M4, Heckler & Kochs
M416 is a great example of how good the M4 could be.
But with current U.S. military budgets constantly being
slashed, along with the internal political strife within
the U.S. military, its unlikely that any changes will take
place in the foreseeable future, so the plan to replace
the standard M16 with the newer M4 version continues
to move forward.
109
Soldiers of
FACTS made o
IT AINT NECESSARILY SO!
By Jim Thompson
his is a short examination of a

few of the military, history and
paraphernalia-related errors that are
often accepted as fact, but are not.
No one can ever hope to cover them
all, but its the principles that are
important!)
MEDIEVAL MYTH
110
In medieval times and even for millennia before that,

much of what was considered history was passed
on through oral recitation. A great deal of it was sung,
and some was recited as poetry. Naturally, the tellers
of tales tended to embellish, improvise, add, subtract
and streamline. There were of course also changes
in names, mix-ups in chronology and fairly frequent
rhythm and rhyme enhancements made by subtle
alteration of tidbits here and there. The adaptations
werent always made with sinister motives, either.
An ancient yarn itself undoubtedly apocryphal,
but amusing and illustrative was related to me
years ago by an Italian friend, discussing some long
ago Caesar who stood at the crest of a hill somewhere
far to the west of Rome, beheld burning villages
and piles of barbarian corpses and snapped to his
recording scribe: Let it be said that I, this day, slew
millions of animalistic enemies of the Empire.
Looking up, the archivist responded by pointing out
that there were only a few hundred dead reposing in
the eld. The Emperor glanced at the literary fellow
laboring to make cryptic notes. Caesars aide quickly
noted: Do you perchance recall what happened to the
last chronicler who refuted a Grand Imperator? The
scribe quickly made a few cross-out scratches. And
Magnicence, did you say millions or billions?
The moral here isnt about censorship or even
power albeit those elements are certainly present in
that little parable. Instead, its about truth falling off the
track to serve other agendas.
Mythology can be and fairly often really is largely
factual. Its the telling and reiteration that changes

proportions. Fantasy, on the other hand, is never
factual, and often has only a peripheral, contextual
relationship to hard reality.
Some of this myth-adapting agenda is driven,
usually for someones prot. Some of it, as with the old
tellers of tales, involves small anecdotes, themselves
valid, improperly analyzed and taken to represent
a grand and overarching type of truth. Often
especially in relationship to military hardware and
rearms mistakes are made or memories blurred.
And then theres the Hollywood factor, wherein
someones attempt to contrive an amusing yarn
eventually becomes part of conventional wisdom.
The adage about wars rst casualty being truth
surely applies. And it likely began a few minutes after
some caveman found an enemy from another group
lying dead, perhaps from falling against a boulder, and
decided to be a hero and show his tribe the rock with
which he valiantly slew the vicious enemy.
FLYING TIGERS
Move forward in time and one can watch David

Millers 1942 lm The Flying Tigers, which depicts a
group of near-bandit mercenaries ying against the
Japanese in China long before Pearl Harbor. Let the
record show that the real Flying Tigers, whose actual
name was the American Volunteer Group, was very
tightly organized by Claire Chennault and didnt y
their rst mission until December 20, 1941.
In fact, almost nothing in the lm is accurate,
chronologically, tactically or otherwise. All of the ofcial
histories of the group and memoirs of pilots and staff
verify details, many mentioning the celluloid fantasy
with tidbits of anger, others with considerable humor.
Chennault had been de facto commander of the entire
Chinese Air Force for several years; so some of the
fantasies are spun, as are most tall yarns, with tidbits
of real information tossed in. Yet many still believe that
the lm chronicles real events, people, and times.
f FICTION AND
of Fantasy
111
Myths about military history can

begin in any number of ways.
SUICIDE TALES
Strangely distorted facts such as the suicide tales of Colin Kelly are also believed. Kelly was a hero in his
own right, but the spin-offs that have him crashing his B-17 into a Japanese battleship are to be more polite
than is justied exaggerated enough to border on hallucination. There have been several such alternative
realities tied to this particular episode, some of which were based upon odd combinations of actual events that
were somehow tied together and inated.
There are volumes largely dedicated to unraveling the pieces of popular history that are awed in this
way. An excellent but hard-to-nd 1979 volume by Martin Caidin, The Ragged, Rugged Warriors, covers the
crazy sequence of events that took place historically between 1937 and 1942, and also discusses a lot of the
equipment involved. This book, just like many of the authors other works, puts the history, men and hardware
into interesting contexts. Hollywood inuences contribute mightily to other mythical confusion, as well as
misremembered tales from veterans long removed from their experiences.
112
Some small examples of the Hollywood myth:

Many volumes record that the German Schmeisser
(which was actually an ERMA designSchmeisser
had nothing to do with the MP.40) shot very fast,
much like the vaunted MG42. It didnt. Schmeissers
chugged along at about 500 rounds per minute
slower, in fact, than a typical Thompson submachine
gun. It is possible that some veterans thought theyd
heard it, but more likely they succumbed to the
suggestion of Hollywood sound overdubbing.
I was told, some 40 years ago when I took a
decorated WW II veteran out to re a few fullyautomatics from that conict, that there was
something wrong with my MP40 because it red
too slow. It was an odd duck, that gun, internally
polished such that it actually shot considerably faster
than normal. I could see no reason to argue with the
gentlemens recollections, and we simply moved on.
Until fairly recently, many observers dismissed
Japans entire output of ries generally called
Arisakas as little more than junk, with some
wags opining that they might even be dangerous.
Theres a tiny kernel of fact in this, since some of the
cast-receiver practice ries intended for orientation
could yield unpleasant surprises when red with fullpower ammunition. Most were marked for blank ring
only in Japanese, no less. But the Type 38 Arisaka

and the later Type 99 took more pressure and abuse
under test by P.O. Ackley and others than any other
then-extant bolt action, surviving relatively unrufed
at pressure levels that wouldve reduced a Mauser or
Springeld 03 to fragments. (Note: Japanese scholars
actually prefer that the Type 99 not be called Arisaka,
as its adoption followed the death of Colonel Nariakira
Arisaka by some 24 years.)
This perception is really a whole set of logical jumps
based upon half-truths and frankly, ignorance. The
service ries were solid, and while nowhere near as
versatile as the Mauser from which they evolved, they
were stronger, and more than capable performers
even if they were not as slick. The older Japanese
cartridge, the 6.5x50 called the Jap .25 and
once described as a weak round whose hit is not
much worse than pin prick was ahead of its time,
and many researchers keep running across it in F.N.
F.A.L. experimentation. They are also startled to nd
that the Soviet Federov, which was on the verge of
being the rst assault rie that never happened, was
chambered for this cartridge.
Bordering on the unknown is the M38 Arisakas
use by the British and Russians in fairly considerable
numbers. Fred Honeycutts work on Japanese ries
Hollywood can contribute to myths in the

way they present their version of a story.
touches on some of this use. Older editions of W.H.B.

Smiths Small Arms of the World pursue the Federov,
which George M. Chinn of the USMC also touches
on in his work. In fact, admirers of the smaller bore,
efcient cartridge tended to be many in number, and
they were seldom novices.
Sneered at in propaganda lms as nothing more
than a hose, the German MG42 was belittled as ring
too fast, and therefore inherently inaccurate. It can be
poorly handled, and it surely can be a bullet-spraying
hose, but its still in issue as MG42/59, MG1, and MG3
in about 12 countries, and it has been produced in
at least four even as recently as the last decade.
Many of the weapons enunciated as better by
ordnance ofcials,
including our own
M60, have since
been reduced
greatly in status or
even totally retired.
The MG42 was
a quantum leap
in manufacturing and repower. Called Hitlers saw,
it terried infantry with its 1200+ RPM rate of re.
Modern postwar Italian versions use a modied bolt/
buffer mechanism that cuts that rate to about 850,
but reality and experience tell us that a disciplined
gunner can be extremely accurate even at great
range. I cherish a photo of myself bouncing an old
steel helmet across a range (after getting permission!)
with an MG42 red from the hip just over 100 yards
downrange, even boastfully landing one just under the
pot and striking it while it was still in the air.
The trick? Short bursts and overall discipline. A good
friend who owns an MG42 popped a roughly four-inch
rock with it at well in excess of 300 yards. It required
full magnication of the spotting scope to view. After a
couple of short bursts, of course, that could no longer
be done there was nothing wrong with the weapon,
but the rock had become dust and pebbles.
collectors value and rarity considerations.

Try ring an old, original Model 1911 sometime,
barehanded and gripping rmly. The often-bleeding
pinch mark on the web of your hand will explain to you
why the grip safety was recongured rather quickly.
The sights are demanding, to say the least. There
were heat treat problems that caused frame cracking
early on, too, and some failed precipitously. These are
handsome pistols, valuable and beautifully made. But
better? Not necessarily.
When the 1911 rst came into play, the underloaded .38 cartridge that immediately preceded it had
fallen into relative disrepute, and there were many
in the popular press, the majority who felt that
semi-automatics
as a group were
inherently inferior.
Going back to
the 19th Century,
genuine early Colt
Model P 1873
single actions in
top condition are nearly priceless. But if one wishes
to actually shoot one of them, one of the post-1892
specimens with the so-called smokeless frame is a
much more serviceable alternative, for reasons of both
potential value loss and strength.
I perpetually run into folks who maintain that the old
bolt-action 1903 is a better rie than its successor, the
M1 Garand. As much as I may be regarded as an M1
advocate and researcher now, I swallowed that myth
hook, line and sinker more than ve decades ago. Yet
even through trying repeatedly, I never succeeded in
getting a 1903 that would even equal a solid M1 for
accuracy or comfort.
Then I stumbled across a ton of old targets, scores,
and data from the rst post-World War II National
Match competitive season, and I realized that the
M1s, though merely selected service ries, shot higher
aggregate scores with service grade ammunition
than those compiled in 1939-41 with match quality
ammunition. Moreover, the military M1903 bolt guns
entered simultaneously in various competitions did
not score nearly as well as the Garand, almost without
exception. And its worth mentioning that the 03s in
those cases were virtually all match-prepared ries.
The M1s were merely selected.
Factually, even among Springelds, I did my best
when I was shooting with the later, stamped parts
1903A3, probably largely due to the superior receiver
peep rear sight setup.
Its true that with a heavy match barrel, massive
bedded butt stock and lots of other alterations, the
03 can be a particularly brilliant performer. But at that
point, it is no longer a military rie.
PATTERNS OF WIT AND WISDOM
Some ction is based upon collectors biases, and

these arent so much wrong in the literal sense as they
are prone to become confusing side currents.
First theres the older is better or favor early
models mythology. Again, this is not complete
balderdash but it tells an incomplete tale that is
frequently wrong. To be blunt, there are reasons with
rearms and military equipment, just as Consumer
Reports cautions often with new automobiles and
appliances, to avoid being the rst on your block to
purchase. Flaws and wrinkles often take a while to
surface and longer to be worked out.
In regard to guns, this mantra is spillover from
Some fiction is based

upon collectors biases
113
114
Still, when it came time to present my grandson with a rie, I succumbed

to tradition, mythology and conventional wisdom, preparing a custom, matchbarreled Model 1903. It was secured in a tight CMP C target stock, with a
mild trigger job added. He was accustomed to his fathers Model 1917, and I
was sure he would prefer it. Still, I encouraged him to do comparative testing.
The 1903 shot well, but he did far better with the M1. He was far more
enthusiastic too, shaking his rst and exclaiming, I love it! I love it!
The earlier is better mythology appears in old articles on the Krag v.
Springeld 03 discussions early in the 20th Century. They seem odd and
funny now, but there were those who claimed that the Krag was more
accurate. And while I havent looked, there were surely some who claimed
that the old Trapdoor Springeld was better than the Krag, and before that
someone surely claimed the cartridge change from .50/70 to .45/70 with the
latters smaller bullet would be a disaster.
Somewhere, too, was probably the odd early 03 with serious
developmental problems that was not quite as accurate as its predecessor.
And so on down the line it goes.
Really, all of that talk about repeating ries causing ammunition wastage
was correct, too. But nobody actually got the chance to ask Custer if
repeating ries could function properly in a reght. Ammo-wasting and
suppressive re are apparently often the same thing, and he never got the chance to employ either of them.
Regardless of these conicting opinions, engineering progress marches on. An early specimen of any product
may be interesting and valuable, but as a tool, it can often be a far less viable instrument than those which
follow, wherein the bugs are sorted out.
To choose a classic example from my own bailiwick, the last M1 Garand ries delivered circa 1956 in the U.S.
and in the 1960s or early 1970s in Italy were far superior to the specimens from two decades earlier. This is
purely from a practical point of view, of course.
The old saw about milled parts being somehow superior to stamped parts is another common legend that
doesnt have much to do with reality. Actual work on a milling machine is a means of conguring material to
dimensions and shape. It can be quite individual and time consuming, but it often looks better. Such parts begin
as forgings or castings, sometimes even as cut bar stock. Stampings begin similarly, but are formed under
pressure. They are sometimes machined or milled afterward, especially if there are aws.
In most cases, however, stampings are stronger and lighter, and if made out of spring material they boast
higher levels of tensile strength. The bands of many classic military ries are good cases in point. The stamped
trigger guard of the M1 Garand, which assumed this conguration in late 1943, was stronger, easier to adjust
in the eld and slightly lighter than the milled version. The earlier trigger guard is sometimes preferred for
appearances sake, and it offers the small advantage of a built-in tool orice for stripping the rie. But with
Conicting opinions and misremembering facts can

contribute to myths in, for example, how a rearm operates.
the exception of Winchesters up to the end of World

War II the milled guards were no longer considered
correct after early 1944.
The earliest K98k Mausers are likewise
fascinating. By the mid-1930s, the action was
well tested to the point where there wasnt a great
deal of strength renement to be done or even
contemplated. But the sight hoods, cupped butt
plates and laminated stocks of a half-dozen years
later greatly improved on the service function.
There are also, at times, elements of competitive
disparagement involved. There was a literal
campaign to erode condence in the simple,
straightforward Reising Model 50 Submachine
Guns, made to appear legitimate by some glitches
with prototypes committed to service too early. But
in the experience of those who have used them
extensively (myself included), the bad press was
mostly ction. True, the magazines were only 12
and 20 rounds, but the unreliability was grossly
exaggerated. Ive never had a jam with a Reising,
and Ive been shooting them off and on since the
60s. I cant say the same for the much-moreexpensive Thompsons.
The main beef with the Reising was that it
was cheap. In the end the Thompson was rst
supplemented, and then replaced, by the M3 and
M3A1, which cost far less than either previous gun
and really were cheap. That whole adventure really
started with the STEN, which was also dismissed
and given awful labels like the Stench Gun and
the Woolworth Special. There were some serious
magazine problems with the STEN, but generally,
the performance of that tubular wonder was truly
astounding, when one considers it cost less than a
decent meal for two in those days at a mid-grade

restaurant as little as $6 by some accounts.
Research is accomplished by examining
specimens, documents, literature and photos. In my
younger days, I spent way too much time digging
through document repositories. The interviews I
did with veterans back in the 60s yielded a lot of
information, along with a lot of strange memories
of badly awed intelligence reports. So the most
important thing to do in that type of endeavor is
verify, verify, verify. And verication consists of
digging through sources whose agendas are either
very clear or nonexistent, the latter being preferable.
Not long ago, when someone asked me about a
rather triing matter, I mentioned that Id not found
more than a small handful of veriable photos of a
particular piece of ancillary gear that was in combat
use until the very end of World War II. Immediately
attacked, images were posted, sent and displayed of
that item in areas and at times that were supposedly
uncommon. I recognized several of the photos that
were purportedly shot in Europe. They were actually
shot at Fort Dix and along the Carolina coast on
landing exercises, by the very fellow who passed
on to me his former G.I. Anniversary Speed Graphic
4x5 camera. Hed shown me prints and shufed
through some old negative sleeves, remarking
that, They were for wirephoto release as invasion
photography, and so I marked them, as ordered,
combat photos, for release on June 5th through the
7th, 1944. I didnt know why that particular date
Now, we do.
Sometimes, ction lasts longer and wears better
than fact. And sometimes, there is only a razors
edge of difference. IMS
Badly awed intelligence reports

can also create myths.
115
The
Browning
Hi Power
A HISTORY OF EXCELLENCE.
116
By Bob Campbell
I
An early Hi Power with the
classic tangent sight.
n a perfect handgunning world, all pistols would have the

mix of history, performance and collector interest held by the
Fabrique Nationale Hi Power. While Hi Power pistols can be
valuable and collectable, they still re the readily obtained
9mm cartridge. The Hi Power is also among the most
recognizable handguns in the world. If you scan the news,
you may see a Hi Power in the hands of the Indian police or
being waved during a street battle in Iraq. Our Canadian allies issue
the Hi Power, and it works as well today
as a battle pistol as it ever did in years
past. The Hi Power has been issued to the
armed services of more than 50 nations. A
generation ago, it was issued to elite units
in the United States including the New
Jersey State Police Fugitive Squad and the
FBI Hostage Rescue Team.
The history of the Hi Power is steeped
in intrigue. The pistol was rst developed
by John Moses Browning as a European
service pistol. Browning was a great
inventor, but he was also among the
greatest gun salesmen of all time. While
left World War I with a great respect

for the Hi Powers 9mm Luger
cartridge. The 9mm met French
requirements and also offered a
good level of power for its compact
size. The Luger cartridge is so
compact that 13 cartridges could be
effectively stuffed into a relatively
compact magazine.
Browning further rened his
locked-breech action to eliminate
the swinging link. The result was
the Hi Power, known to the French
as the Grande Puissance. Sadly,
Browning died in his Belgium
ofce before the nal work was
completed. Still, early models
illustrate that Browning truly dened
the Hi Power. Belgian small-arms
designer Dieudonn Saive, a
respected inventor in his own right,

rened the pistol and gave us its
nal form. The Hi Power is a wellbalanced handgun and among the
nest service pistols of all time.
The French did not adopt the
Hi Power, but it still saw immense
commercial success. Early variants
were shipped to China as well as
many South American countries.
During World War II, the Germans
took over the Fabrique Nationale
plant and turned out the Hi Power
for the Wehrmacht. Canadian John
Inglis, a respected maker of ships
boilers and other armaments, took
up production of the Hi Power for
the Allies. The Hi Power bears the
distinction of serving on both sides
of practically every international
There are few handguns that sit in the

hand as comfortably as the Hi Power.
Balance, known as heft, is excellent.
fans of the Colt 1911 may decry the

small-caliber 9mm and derisively
call it the Half Power, their
.45-caliber service pistol would
have been unthinkable in Europe.
Browning did not base his Hi Power
on the 1911 but upon Browning
principles. In this same fashion, the
Tokarev and French 1935 by
different inventors are based
upon Brownings work.
Originally, the Hi Power was
intended for the French army. The
French did not want a grip safety,
and none was supplied for them. In
my humble opinion, Browning had
learned a few things since 1911,
and the Hi Power was therefore
designed to be produced as
economically as possible. The Allies
117
The
Hi Power
This military intelligence
ofcer checks out a vintage
Hi Power and nds it good.
118
conict since 1939. The Hi Power has been in

continuous production and remains a popular handgun
today. A look at the specications of the Hi Power
shows that it is ideally proportioned for the cartridge it
chambers. There is enough weight to absorb the recoil
of the 9mm cartridge, but the pistol is light enough for
daily carry. The grip also ts well in most hands. The
trigger press is straight to the rear, and the pistol is at
enough for concealed carry.
Hi Power dimensions
Barrel Length: 4 inches
Sight Radius: 6 inches
Overall Length: 7 inches
Weight: 34 ounces
The pistol is all steel, and it is well made of good

material. The Browning design has gone through
several generations, but each is recognizable as a Hi
Power and the changes have been minor usually
limited to differences in the sights and manual safety.
The early versions feature a slide-lock safety that is
smaller than many competing types. However, with
practice, the safety isnt as difcult to manipulate as
some would have you believe. Just the same as in a
dedicated defensive handgun, the Cylinder & Slide
Inc. extended safety is an invaluable aid in speed

and positive function. The original safetys credits
include that it is positive in operation and unlikely to be
inadvertently moved to the Off Safe position. The slide
stop and magazine release are easily reached and
manipulated. Most but not all Hi Power pistols feature
a magazine disconnect that prevents the pistol from
ring if the magazine is not in place.
The Hi Power is smaller and lighter than the 1911 .45
and handles quickly. With the greatest respect for the
1911 and its action speed, it must be

said that if there is a handgun faster
to an accurate rst shot than the
1911, it is the Browning Hi Power.
However, while the intrinsic accuracy
of the Hi Power is often very good,
practical accuracy is limited by its
sometimes-heavy trigger actions.
Over the years, the RCBS triggerpull gauge has measured Hi Power
triggers at ve to 11 pounds there
seems to be no rhyme or reason.
The tangent action isnt easily
improved. It is a shame that the
heavy trigger action limits accuracy
potential in many variants, but then
again, the piece was designed for
short-range combat. There are also
many experienced shooters who
control the trigger and manage good

hits in spite of the trigger action.
As long as the trigger is consistent,
little else matters to these practiced
marksmen. Another advantage
of the Hi Power is its fast loading
speed. To replenish the ammunition
supply, all that is required is to
quickly insert the tapered magazine
into a generous magazine well.
There is no need for a magazine
chute with this pistol.
The Hi Power features a heavy
hammer spring, which makes
thumb cocking more difcult.
However, there is a reason for the
heavy spring. Ammunition in 9mm
Luger has been produced in many
countries. Quality in these cases
sometimes suffers, leaving the Hi

Power to function with every load
and handle variations in case length
as well as hard primers. The Hi
Powers hammer gives the primer a
solid hit, and the pistol has excellent
reliability. Around 1962, the design
of the extractor was changed from
internal to external.
A complaint leveled against the
pistol that may have little basis in
reality is an appraisal of the longevity
of the pistol and the claim that some
have soft steel. It seems unlikely that
Fabrique Nationale would produce
so many reputably ne shotguns
and ries and then use Basque
steel in the Hi Power. Nevertheless,
claims of cracked slides (without
119
This is an early Hi Power. Note the

high level of t and nish and the
FN markings.
120
photographic proof) are common.

Personally, I am certain that some
Hi Powers have cracked slides.
However, so do 1911s, Berettas,
P38s, SIGs and Glocks. I have
examined well-used wartime Hi
Powers that rattled when shaken.
The barrel lugs were well worn,
and the frame showed high wear
spots, but the pistols functioned.
The Action Works-modied Hi
Power went well over 10,000 rounds
including performing as the test bed
for +P+ 9mm ammunition. There
were no problems, just a little loss of
accuracy at the 10,000-round mark.
I think shooters need to understand
that springs and magazines are
a renewable resource and must
eventually be replaced. Guns also
sometimes wear out and need to be
either replaced or retired.
License-built pistols were
produced in Argentina and clones
and copies manufactured worldwide.
The FM Argentine guns originally
copied the Hi Power, but later

versions deleted the step in the
slide, producing a pistol with a
different prole. The probable
reason for this was to diminish the
amount of machine work involved.
The design may be stronger this
way, but it would take a truckload
of ammunition to prove it. The
Hungarian FEG is a quality variant,
with a good nish and performance
comparable to the original. One of
the most interesting of the variants
is the John Inglis-produced Hi
Power. The story goes that Belgian
engineers escaped to Canada
with plans under their arms for the
manufacture of the FN Hi Power.
During the war, the Hi Power
was a favored pistol for commando
use. After all, the standard British
issuea Webley revolverwas
not the most modern combat arm.
The Inglis-produced pistol was sent
to our Allies, including China, and
was heavily used by the British.
This is a John Inglis Hi Power.

The primary difference between
this Hi Power and earlier
handguns is the wartime nish.
They liked the Hi Power, and while

they used whatever was available
during the war, after World War
II, the Hi Power became standard
issue for the British army. An extra
bit of understanding is needed when
studying the Inglis Hi Power and
any other Hi Power. It is possible
that Hi Powers with identical serial
numbers exist in different places
worldwide, since FN used the same
blocks with different contracts.
Thats ne and dandy for FN, but it
has serious collectors searching for
identifying proofmarks. The Inglis
Number 1 and Number 2, Mark * 1,
for example, differ. Marks indicate
differences such as the ejector
or extractor, while the numbers
are even more important. The
Number 1 is the Chinese pistol with
tangent rear sights and a slot for a
shoulder stock. The Number 2 is the
conventional-sight version. Serial
numbers were applied after nishing,
and if the pistol was renished, the
This holster, from nightingaleleather.com,

is a rst-class addition to the Hi Power. The
author sometimes carries a classic Hi Power
for personal defense. It isnt plastic!
121
numbers no longer appear in the white. Most are in

well-used condition. They were not as well nished as
the FN versions were when they were new.
I have probably red more rounds through the Inglis
Hi Power than any other type. The pistols are pleasant
to re. The John Inglis gun is among my favorite
recreational shooters. It isnt possible to know who
once used the pistol, but we may draw conclusions
as to how they maintained the gun. One example I
recently handled and red had an adjusted dovetailed
front sight, with a punch used to peen the surrounding
metal. The result was a pistol that was sighted in for
the owners eyes, and the front sight isnt likely to move
again. Fortuitously, the setting was correct for my eyes
and 124-grain Black Hills ammunition.
After considerable experience with the Hi Power,
its parts interchangeability seems excellent to me.
Other than the change to a different extractor style,
its only variation is in different generations of sights.
The original military sights are no better or worse than
many of the day. The later MKII sights are much better
combat sights. The tangent-style sights came in a
number of variations. The late-model Browning features
variations on adjustable sights, including one type that
seems to t into the military dovetail. The adjustablesighted commercial guns are ne sporting guns
occasionally found in the used section at the shop with

a sight leaf missing. These sight leaves are sometimes
difcult to obtain, since magazines interchange
between all of the models.
I have already stated my opinion on the longevity
of the 9mm Hi Power; any handgun in use for so long
will have among its number worn or broken examples.
I have found that the Hi Power feeds modern JHP
ammunition. When hollow points became common
in the 1960s and 70s, many featured a wide-mouth
hollow nose that was not designed for feed reliability.
As a result, these loads did not feed in military pistols
without barrel polish or throating. Throating, once
universally recommended in the popular press, isnt
the best course and is often improperly done. Modern
loads such as the Remington Golden Saber perform
well and feed reliably. As for Hi Power accuracy, I
feel that its pretty consistent. Most examples may be
counted upon for a ve-shot group of 2 to 3 inches
at 25 yards with good ammunition and from a solid
bench-rest. In the end, the Hi Power is far more than
just a handgun to be kept in a safe and never red. On
the contrary, it is among the most useful of all 9mm
handguns. Light enough for constant carry, reliable,
effective and with more than a little pride of ownership,
this is a handgun that has stood the test of time. IMS
Spurious F
HOW TO AVOID FALLING FOR A FAKE
By Dave Dolbee
n the business of rearms auctions, it is

simply an unavoidable fact of life that one
is going to come across what is known as a
spurious rearm.
For those unfamiliar with the term,
spurious is the most gracious way of calling
something phony, bogus or a fake. So how
do you avoid this problem? There are a number of ways.
WHY IT HAPPENS
122
In some more innocent situations, a fake or counterfeit

item may be labeled and sold as such. A collector could
want that Russian Contract 1911 pistol with spurious
Cyrillic text, in order to get a representation of the original
at only a fraction of the cost.
In fact, many replica cars are sold just the same way.
You wouldnt nd me turning down a replica of a 1968 AC
Cobra, though Im denitely not going to pay the same
price as the original. There is a market for such pieces
given that they are priced accordingly and disclosed

as such to the buying public. Much like the AC Cobra
example, replicas can be extremely desirable and fun.
Sometimes collectors, or even an auction house,
can make mistakes in good faith. Perhaps they are in
possession of such a meticulously crafted forgery that no
one can tell the difference save for some of the worlds
foremost experts. Is anyone to be held to blame in such
an event except the forger? No, because both parties
acted in good faith and intent towards what they thought
to the best of their ability was a real object.
However, if after the fact the buyer discovered that his
or her item was not 100% as claimed, it would be the
duty of the seller to make it right. It is with scenarios like
this in mind that premiere auction companies such as
Rock Island Auction Company offer a guarantee of the
headline for every single item in its Premiere Firearms
Auctions. Should that item not be as advertised, the
auction company will make it right via a full refund.
Outstanding Henry Nettleton

Sub-Inspected U.S. Colt
Single Action Cavalry Model
Revolver with Factory Letter
s Firearms
Honesty and integrity are two qualities indispensable
to an auction house, or any selling business. Its as
simple as knowing that if you burn someone once, they
are not going to return. If there are too many people
who question its transactions, the sellers carefully
built reputation will rightfully nose-dive faster than
German U-boat. Businesses stand to gain much more
from positive experiences and good word-of-mouth
advertising than they could ever achieve by being less
than completely truthful.
It is with that dedication and responsibility to fairness
that experts can examine the last kind of spurious
arms: out and out fakes maliciously sold as the genuine
article for prot. It goes without saying that the faking
of rearms hurts the collecting community. Not only is it
fraudulent, but it erodes trust and could potentially lower
the prices of authentic items.
Jim Supica, the current museum director of NRA
Museums, once detailed several types of fraud in an
article he wrote for the Blue Book of Gun Values:

Aging and modifying a modern reproduction or replica
rearm to pass it off as an original.
Altering a common model to make it appear to be a
rare model.
Adding modern engraving to an older gun, and
passing it as original period engraving.
Creating false historical documentation or attribution of
historical usage.
Altering a rearm to a more valuable conguration
for example, rare barrel length, uncommon nish, special
grips, or fancy stock, rare caliber.
Upgrading a low-grade gun to resemble a higher
grade by the same maker.
As I mentioned before, even top auction companies
are not immune to being involved with these types of
guns, and the obvious recourse upon discovery is to
make it right. Rock Island Auction Company has done
so on numerous occasions, most notably on an episode
Factory Documented Spectacular and Extremely Rare

Gustave Young Factory Engraved Smith & Wesson Model
320 Buntline Special Revolving Rie with Shoulder Stock
and Case
About the author: Dave Dolbee is

the editor of Inside Military Surplus.
123
of RIACs TV show Ready, Aim, Sold! when it

discovered that it was dealing with a fake Winchester
1 of 1,000. The documentation that had preceded
the Winchester was incredible, and worthy of its own
feature article in another issue of our magazine.
You may wonder what inspires a person to write
an article of this type. An ominous buyer beware to
collectors? Perhaps some alternate point? No, more
commonly it is the need to distance reputable service
providers from several potentially spurious rearms
previously identiedsome that have been sold and
are now showing up in other auction houses.
Deluxe London Cased Set

of Colt Deluxe Gustave
Young Engraved Model 1855
Sidehammer Pocket Revolvers
HOW TO AVOID THE PROBLEM
124
As a buyer, you are making an investment.

Perhaps it is a minor investment; perhaps it will
instead become a major part of your portfolio and
the fulllment of a lifelong dream. Either way, you
are purchasing a product and need to be able to
have the condence that youre spending your hardearned dollars well.
Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet or surere
way for a layman to spot a spurious offering. But that
does not mean its time to stop collecting and run for
the hills. It is simply a cautionary tale to remind you
to always keep a few principles in mind when buying.
First, A gun with a story and no documentation is
just a gun with a story.
Second, any deal that seems too good to be true
probably isnt a deal you want.
And last but certainly not least, when buying a ne
collectible, the few dollars you may spend to verify
that you are buying the item and quality you believe
are the best investment you can make. You cant put
a price on peace of mind.
So go about your business with some caution, and
you can make a nice investment. IMS
Extraordinary Historic Early Production Henry
Rie from the Samuel Colt Collection
125
Phenomenal One-Of-A-Kind A.F.

Stoeger Three Gun Cased set with
Numerous Original Accessories
Including Shoulder Stock
Extraordinary, Factory Documented Winchester

Model 1873 One of One Thousand Rie with
Extremely Rare Half Octagon Barrel
Battle
Worthy
THE YUGO AND THE CHIANG KAI-SHEK
126
By Wilburne Roberts
aul Mausers ries

were used in all of
the major conicts
of the last century.
While there were
early Mauser ries
that represented
important steps in technology and
which proved their worth in battle,
easily the most important of his
creations was the Mauser 1898,
or Model 98. This rie was useful
both as an implement of war and as
a tool of commerce.
The Model 98 featured a stronger
bolt than any rie previously
manufactured, and locked with
three lugs. The rie could handle
increasingly powerful military
cartridges such as the 8mmthe
8 x 57mm Mauser cartridge was
rst introduced in this rie. The
initial Model 98 was a good rie,
but Mauser eventually designed
shorter versions. The new rie, with
an abbreviated barrel and a slightly
shorter action, proved to be popular
as well as effective.
Before World War II, Fabrique

Nationale built Mauser action ries
for use worldwide. A variant of
the shorter rie was also supplied
to Yugoslavia, and Yugoslavia
maintained its Yugo 47 rie well
into the 1950s. Many of them were
rebuilt for military use, and a later
rie known as the Yugo 48 was also
eventually manufactured.
The Yugo 48 ries used a shorter
receiver and turned-down bolt
that is instantly recognizable. One
identifying marker of the early
models is their steel magazine
oor plates. Later guns will have a
stamped oor plate. In concept, they
bear the same relation to earlier
Mauser ries that the Springeld
1903A3 does to rst-generation
Springeld ries.
The Yugo 48 was designed for
less expensive manufacture, and
in that respect, it realized success.
Later versions further cut costs
and featured stamped magazine
plates, stamped barrel bands
and stamped trigger guards. This
inexpensive manufacture seems

to have detracted nothing from
the performance, and the Yugo 48
remains a respected rie.
When collecting bolt-action
ries, one must remember that the
Mauser rie was used worldwide
and manufactured in many different
nations. As an example, Yugo
ries put to close examination
may actually be discovered to
be reworked German 98K ries.
The original 98Ks use a different
receiver and a steel magazine
oor plate. After the war, immense
stocks of captured German ries
were reworked and issued to the
Yugoslavian forces. While the
majority of German markings were
removed and the Yugoslav crest
applied, there are often telltale
markings that identify the rie.
The rie illustrated here is an
excellent example of this bait-andswitch type. It is hardly in mint
condition, but neither is it simply a
beater. This rie was doubtless used
during World War II, and then rebuilt
by Yugoslav arsenals afterward. It is marked

Preduzece 44 on the left side of the receiver.
The bolt action is very smooth; the safety works
properly, and the trigger action included is a
typical two-stage military.
The sights and every conguration are
original. This rie is a good all-around shooter,
with quite a bit of life left in it. As I often tell my
students, if the Mauser rie isnt tactical, then no
rie is. The controlled feed action of the Mauser
picks the cartridge up from the magazine, with
the extractor taking a good hold of the cartridge
case rim and controlling feed into the chamber.
When the cartridge has red, the extractor still
grips the cartridge, forcefully extracting the case
from the chamber as the bolt is turned.
The claw extractor maintains control of
the cartridge at all times, even if the rie is
held sideways or upside down. The Mauser
controlled-feed action is far superior to the
modern push-feed action used in most sporting
ries. While more expensive to produce than
the modern version, it is the more battle-worthy
action choice.
The authors Yugo 48 has been red
extensively with a variety of ammunition,
including Greek surplus, Winchester commercial
loadings and Wolfs FMJ offering. The Greek
is the strongest: a true military-rated loading.
The Wolf is a good resource for those who want
inexpensive use: it is affordable and includes
non-corrosive priming. The Winchester load
uses a soft-point bullet for sporting use.
At present the Wolf Gold has proven to be the
single most accurate loading, with an average
three-shot group of 2.5 inches at 100 yards.
This rie may be capable of better accuracy in
the intrinsic sense, but the issued sights are its
most limiting factor. The Greek Surplus loading
and the Winchester 180-grain JSP each exhibit
three-shot groups of about 3.0 inches at 100
yards. Yugo ries are not as common as they
once were. While legitimate collectibles, they
are also useful for anything that may be done
with a powerful open-sighted rie.
Typical Mauser ladder sights.
127
The Chiang Kai-Shek
128
Another quite interesting Mausertype rie recently crossed the

authors path. While produced
in massive numbers, this rie is
seldom encountered at gun shows.
The Chinese Type 24 is often called
the Chiang Kai-Shek rie. The rie
is a variant on the Mauser rie that
is most similar to 1930s-production
German Mauser ries. It is not a
carbon copy of the Karabiner 98K,
but instead bears more similarity
to earlier ries. The Peoples
Republic of China later used the
rie extensively, sometimes with the
original markings obliterated.
It is interesting to note that the
Chinese used a variant of the early
Mauser 88 pattern rie well into
World War II. Beginning in 1935,
the Chiang Kai-shek rie entered
Series production. Eventually some
half-million ries were produced.
Before the Axis partnership,
Germany and China enjoyed a
close relationship in many matters,
with the Germans often training
Chinese troops. These ries differ
in quality due to the manufacture in
different arsenals, but most of them
were at least serviceable.
The tooling came from Germany
and the Chinese Type 24 is similar

to the Gewehr 98, but also similar
to the German infantry rie versions
of 1933 and 1934. The Chang Kai
Shek rie was considered to be
at least as good of a rie as the
Japanese Arisaka, and the 8mm
cartridge hit harder than the 7.7
Japanese cartridge. The rie was
produced in great numbers
perhaps as many as 600,000
and saw use by the Chinese well
into the 1950s.
The Red Chinese used the
Chinese Type 24 during the Korean
war. They were issued to secondline troops as late as the 1960s,
and perhaps even later. These ries
are an important part of history,
and they are often interesting to re
and use. In my experience, surplus
loads of uncertain origin will give
results of about 3.5 MOA with the
general run of these ries.
The Chinese rie illustrated
was modied at some point by
shortening the barrel, although
the bayonet lug was retained.
Such ries exist, and this example
may have been modied in a
military arsenal, although this is
not certain. The rie has not been
red because a preliminary check
indicated excess headspace. This

brings us to another point: before a
rie is red, it should be checked.
Routine maintenance is also an
important factor.
Checking the
Mauser Rifle
When working with this type of

turn-bolt rie, you must have a
good understanding of the need
for preventive maintenance and
lubrication. The author also realizes
that there are a number of concerns
with the automatic that do not come
into play with manually operated
ries. Still, it is important to avoid
being surprised at the level of
maintenance and care required in
working a bolt-action rie.
Often, a step here and there will
be an aid in the ries longevity. On
the ip side, I occasionally discover
a shooter who is his own worst
enemy. One example of this is the
common sticking bolt. When the
bolt sticks, many shooters will work
the bolt more aggressively and
use all of their strength, causing
even more damage. When you are
addressing common bolt problems,
you need to be familiar with the
individual and how it operates.
Mauser rie markings are a fascinating study.
129
This is the recognizable
Yugoslav state seal.
The Mauser safety is still unsurpassed

today, and the bolt is the strongest
design yet invented.
Safety Check
Whether youre dealing with a well-worn Turkish

Mauser, a like-new Yugo 48A or a sporterized rie, the
safety check is always the starting place. Begin with a
double-checked, unloaded rie. Open the bolt, check
the magazine and place the forenger in the chamber
to check for a loaded cartridge. Work the bolt to the rear
to cock it. Close the bolt. With the safety to the far left,
press the trigger. The striker should re.
Next, work the bolt and move the safety to the middle
or ag position. Press the trigger. The rie should not
re. Work the bolt and move the safety to the far right.
The bolt should be immovable and the rie should not
snap! when the trigger is pressed. If the rie res, there
are different possible explanations, but the bolt or parts
of the bolt may have to be scrapped.
Move the extractor collar around the bolt a few times
to ascertain whether or not this important piece is free
of crud and varnished oil. Firing pin inspection is critical.
The details in this report are common to the Mauser
98, 98 K and the Yugo 48A. Some have reported
expedients such as peening or even home made parts.
If the ring pin is rusty or pitted it should be replaced.
Pierced primers are a fault common to Mauser ries
and surplus ammunition; they leave a smoke ring
around the bolt face, so be aware of this fault during

preliminary inspection. The ring pin tip is never sharp
as issued, but should instead be smooth and radiused.
The Mausers ring pin shoulder is an excellent safety
feature. This shoulder is about 1.5 inches behind the
ring pin tip, and does not allow the ring pin to move
forward until the bolt is nearly closed. When at rest, the
ring pin should be seen about a 1/10-inch in the ring
pin tunnel. The ring pin should not clear the bolt face
without 90 degrees of rotation. This is easy to check.
Move the ring pin into the bolt and rotate the ring
pin to check for proper operation. The ring pin will
move through the bolt body past the internal stops until
it comes to rest. Then check for tthe pin should not
protrude from the bolt. You may also wish to check
cocking piece and ring pin t. The cocking piece
should rotate smoothly on the ring pin. If it does not,
lubricant may help x it.
It really is that simple. Take care of your Mauser and
your Mauser will take care of you. Many of todays most
popular ries feature bolts or operating systems that are
based on the Mauser design, and others are a direct
copy. This means that you could possibly have a little
Mauser inspiration in the safe already but nothing
beats the real thing. IMS
130
Made world famous by the 1898 Mauser,

the claw extractor rides on the right
side of the bolt and runs the full length
of the bolt body. The extractor does not
rotate, instead, the bolt rotates and the
extractor remains attached via a collar.
The Mauser bolt release

is simple enough.
THE
20
th
CENTURYS
LastLook
MOST INFLUENTIAL GUN DESIGNER
John Moses Browning
131
Cover Photos Courtesy of Browning Arms Company
IMS-2014-Mitchells Manufacturing 10/31/14 10:38 AM Page 1
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IMS_Cover_Cover 10/31/14 3:23 PM Page 1

FROM THE EDITORS OF WORLD OF FIREPOWER | INSIDE MILITARY SURPLUS

Engaged Media By Beckett

CV2_MajorSurplus_Layout 1 10/31/14 11:25 AM Page 1

Starting in the 18th century, we have got the evolution of

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We have gone where no other man has dared to go

Fact vs. Fiction

Hollywood is just one of the culprits in the perpetuation of

It is one of the most recognizable handguns in the world. It

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Buying a counterfeit collectible isnt on the top of anyones

Get up close and personal with this German battle rie.

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n a recent morning, marines and sailors with the

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Books, Merchandise, Reprints

Cpl. James J. McNeely, left, receives a desert

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For many reasons, collectors crave military surplus. From

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World of Firepower provides the gun enthusiast with everything

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A MARINE AND NAVY TREASURE FROM THE 1800S

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.

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The M1895 Lee and Lee-Eneld ries were both

The M1895 rie was used by the Marine Corps

Photo by Lance Cpl. Michelle S. Mattei

GUN SHOWS ARE A GOOD PLACE TO FIND RARE, UNIQUE WEAPONS

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